TWO MEN PLEAD GUILTY IN CONNECTION WITH IDENTITY THEFT SCHEME TARGETING DUI OFFENDERS IN YORK AND LANCASTER COUNTIES

Dennis C. Pfannenschmidt, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, announced today that John B. Spencer, III, 30, and Donald E. Stoner, 38, both of Lancaster, Pennsylvania pled guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit identification fraud in connection with a scheme targeting DUI offenders in Lancaster and York Counties. Spencer and Stoner face up to five years’ imprisonment, mandatory restitution and $250,000 in fines when they are sentenced on February 11, 2010.

In today’s proceedings, Spencer and Stoner admitted they targeted individuals who had been convicted of DUI offenses in Lancaster and York Counties. Spencer and Stoner then requested the Court’s files from the Clerk’s office and obtained the victim’s social security number, date of birth, drivers license number and other identifying information that was disclosed on documents in the file. Armed with this information, Spencer and Stoner opened fraudulent bank accounts, created phony email addresses and applied for loans in the victim’s name. The proceeds of the loans were deposited into the fraudulent bank accounts and used by the co-conspirators for personal expenses. Approximately 100 individuals had their identities stolen between January 2008 and March 2009 and approximately $27,190 was gained as a result of this scheme. The victims have been contacted by law enforcement authorities and advised of the identity theft. The Clerk of Court for York and Lancaster Counties were advised of the scheme in June 2009, and were asked to redact identifying information from court documents prior to release to the public.

U.S. Attorney Pfannenschmidt noted that identity theft is a serious problem and public officials should help combat it rather than unwittingly facilitate it. “Many Clerk’s offices have successfully adopted procedures to prevent this type of abuse and I am confident that the Clerk’s offices in Lancaster and York Counties can similarly adopt procedures to prevent a reoccurrence of these regrettable events.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and is assigned to Senior Litigation Counsel Bruce Brandler for prosecution.

****