William J. Edwards, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today that Edward E. White, age 25, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced to 63 months in prison by U.S. District Judge James S. Gwin in connection with White’s recent conviction for Fraud in Connection with Access Devices. White was also ordered to pay restitution to Alltel Wireless, Verizon Wireless and Sprint/Nextel totaling $191,084.63 and a special assessment of $300 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

On December 19, 2007, a federal grand jury in Cleveland, Ohio, returned an indictment charging White with six counts of Fraud in Connection with Access Devices. The Indictment charged that between October 2005, and September 2007, White used the names and taxpayer ID numbers of at least six Cleveland area businesses to fraudulently open over 53 business cellular wireless accounts with approximately 377 cellular telephone lines through Alltel Wireless, Sprint / Nextel and Verizon Wireless. The indictment charged that as a result of White’s activity, Alltel, Sprint/Nextel and Verizon suffered aggregate losses in the approximate amount of $235,180.09. On January 29, 2008, White entered guilty pleas to three counts of the indictment.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert W. Kern of the Cleveland U.S. Attorney’s Office, following an investigation by the Cleveland Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cleveland, Richmond Heights and Strongsville Police Departments.