Press Releases
DEBIT CARD BANDIT SENTENCED TO FIFTY- SEVEN MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR ACCESS DEVICE FRAUD AND BANK FRAUD
May 29, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MORRIS VIRDEAN WARNER, age 45, a resident of Harvey, Louisiana, was sentenced by U. S. District Judge Helen G. Berrigan to fifty-seven months (57) months imprisonment for unauthorized access device fraud, counterfeit access device fraud, and bank fraud, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten. Additionally, the defendant was ordered to serve five (5) years of supervised release following the term of imprisonment during which time he will be under federal supervision and risks an additional term of imprisonment should he violate any terms of his supervised release.
On November 12, 2008, WARNER was found guilty on all counts of a forty-three (43) Count Indictment charging him with unauthorized access device fraud, counterfeit access device fraud, and bank fraud from approximately February 2004 and continuing to June 2005 in the Eastern District of Louisiana, and elsewhere. WARNER, effected a scheme in which he was able to capture numerous customers debit card account numbers and corresponding Personal Identification Numbers (PINs).
At trial it was shown that it was part of the scheme to defraud that WARNER installed computer equipment and recording devices at a dry cleaners owned by his family in such a manner as to obtain the customers’ Debit Card information and PINs. WARNER then matched the PIN’s he obtained with the customers’ Debit Card information. WARNER took the customers’ Debit Card information and encoded it on the magnetic strip on the white plastic cards to be used at ATM’s.
WARNER then made unauthorized withdrawals using the encoded white plastic cards over a three to four week period both in May/June 2004 and 2005. WARNER made these unauthorized withdrawals in both the New Orleans area and in Florida. To avoid detection WARNER always wore a baseball cap pulled down low over his forehead and sunglasses to make any identification from ATM cameras difficult. During these two time periods, WARNER stole over $120,000 from New Orleans area Bank customers’ accounts.
The Court imposed a sentence within the guidelines range. WARNER was remanded to the United States Marshal’s Service to begin his term of imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorneys Harry McSherrry, Dorothy Manning Taylor and Brian J. Capitelli.
