10-24-05 -- Council, Remington T. -- Guilty Plea -- News Release

Clementon Man Admits Defrauding Financial Institutions of $347,000

CAMDEN - A Clementon man pleaded guilty today to bank fraud and credit card fraud charges arising out of his scheme to defraud Commerce Bank of more than $320,000 and MBNA America Credit Cards of approximately $27,000, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced.

Remington T. Council, 23, entered his guilty plea to a two-count Information before U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb 17, 2006.

According to the Information to which Council pleaded guilty, between April 2000 and September 2003, the defendant and others caused fraudulent checks to be deposited into numerous accounts at Commerce Bank branches throughout Camden and Gloucester Counties. Very soon thereafter, Council and others had the fraudulent check funds withdrawn from the various accounts by the account holders, according to the Information.

Additionally, in June 2003, Council began working with other individuals to defraud MBNA America by using the personal information of an unsuspecting victim to establish a credit card account in the name of J&J Wicker Concrete Construction Company (J&J Wicker), according to the Information.

At his plea hearing, Council admitted that beginning in April 2000 he began working with others in a scheme to defraud Commerce Bank. Council admitted that he and his accomplices approached Commerce Bank account holders, many of whom were having financial problems, and persuaded them with offers of cash to allow Council and his accomplices to deposit the checks into the account holder's account and then shortly afterwards withdraw the funds. According to a Criminal Complaint that was filed on April 27, the account holders were typically given between $300 and $500 for the use of their accounts.

Council admitted the deposited checks were fraudulent and that he and his accomplices had the account holders withdraw the subject funds against the checks before Commerce Bank discovered the fraudulent nature of the checks. Council admitted that the fraud continued until September 2003 and that he and his accomplices caused $320,532 to be withdrawn from Commerce Bank.

Furthermore, Council admitted to working with other individuals to defraud MBNA America. Council admitted he and his accomplices obtained the MBNA credit cards after submitting a fraudulent credit application in the name J&J Wicker. As a result, an MBNA America credit card account was opened in the name of J&J Wicker, which purportedly had a business address in Camden. Several credit cards with different account numbers in the names of different individuals were obtained using the J&J Wicker main account. The J&J Wicker account had been opened in the name of an individual identified only as "Victim #1" in the Complaint. Victim #1, who did not own a concrete business and did not authorize the opening of the MBNA account, contacted law enforcement after becoming aware of the account. According to the Complaint, purchases on the J&J Wicker credit card accounts totaled approximately $27,000, which included the purchase of a 1997 Lexus ES-300 from an Egg Harbor Twp. auto dealership.)

Council pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of credit card fraud. The bank fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million. The charge of credit card fraud carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

In determining an actual sentence, Judge Irenas will consult the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide appropriate sentencing ranges that take into account the severity and characteristics of the offense, the defendant's criminal history, if any, and other factors. The judge, however, is not bound by those guidelines in determining a sentence.

Parole has been abolished in the federal system. Defendants who are given custodial terms must serve nearly all that time.

In the filing of a felony Information, a defendant waives the right to have his or her case presented to a federal grand jury and, instead, pleads guilty to charges presented by the Government.

Christie credited Special Agents of the U.S. Secret Service, Philadelphia Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Robert Slama, and Special Agents of the FBI's Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John C. Eckenrode, with investigation of the case.

The Government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard Wiener of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Camden.

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Defense Attorney: Lori M. Koch, Esq. AFPD