LYNN WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO SELLING AND USING IDENTITIES OF TSA AIRPORT EMPLOYEES
BOSTON, Mass. - A Lynn woman pled guilty in federal court today to selling and using the names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of Transportation Security Administration employees who worked at Logan Airport.
United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, George Naccara, Federal Security Director of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in Boston and Colonel Marian McGovern, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police announced today that TINA M. WHITE, 47, of Lynn pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to conspiracy, misrepresenting a social security number with intent to defraud, possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices with intent to defraud and aggravated identity theft.
At today’s plea hearing, the prosecutor told the Court that had WHITE proceeded to trial, the Government’s evidence would have proven that between approximately July 2008 and December 9, 2009, WHITE and her co-conspirator opened accounts using TSA employees’ identities to obtain gas, electric, cable television, telephone, and other services for themselves and their relatives, friends and customers. Some recipients of the services would not pay the bills, knowing that the account-holder details did not match the recipients’ identities. WHITE’s customers included relatives and friends of state prison inmates who sought to open telephone accounts using the TSA identities in order to, among other things, circumvent prison telephone usage rules. WHITE's co-conspirator allegedly obtained the names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of employees who worked for TSA at Logan Airport from a relative who worked as a contractor at TSA’s department of human resources.
Judge Gorton scheduled sentencing for November 5, 2010. WHITE faces up to a total of 22 years of imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, restitution and a fine of $1,000,000 or twice the gain or loss, whichever is highest.
The case was investigated by the Transportation Security Administration – Office of Inspection and the Massachusetts State Police. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott L. Garland and Brian Kelly of Ortiz’s Computer Crime and Public Corruption Units, respectively.
