AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC at 410-209-4885

October 11, 2006

TWO BOWIE DEFENDANTS SENTENCED FOR MISAPPROPRIATING IDENTITIES OF SENIOR CITIZENS

Bowie Woman Used Her Employment to Steal Identities, Personal Information and Access Devices of Customers of a Medical Transport Company

GREENBELT, Maryland - Spencer Thorne, age 22, of Bowie, Maryland was sentenced today to 28 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit access device offenses, and for use and possession of the identity of another in relation to a felony, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein. Co-defendant Messina Wiseman, age 27, of Bowie, Maryland, was also sentenced today to 21 months in prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release for use and possession of the identity of another in relation to a felony. U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus also ordered Thorne to pay $8,960 and Wiseman to pay $10,000 in restitution.

According to the statements of facts presented to the court as part of their plea agreements, between April 2004 and April 2005, Thorne and Wiseman conspired with Ryan Omar White and others to use unauthorized access devices to obtain cash and goods; and to possess 15 or more counterfeit and unauthorized access devices. The conspiracy was discovered by law enforcement beginning on November 12, 2004, when a security officer at the Bloomingdale’s store at White Flint Mall in Kensington, Maryland observed White and a female companion purchasing two gift cards and attempting to purchase a third using an unauthorized Mastercard in the name of Joyce Johnson. Wiseman’s cellular telephone was used to apply for the access device in Joyce Johnson’s name.

Throughout the conspiracy, Wiseman provided Thorne and White with misappropriated confidential information from Wiseman’s employer, Dependable Medical Transport, Inc. in Hyattsville, Maryland. Dependable Medical operated wheelchair-accessible vehicles and provided transportation for residents of nursing homes and other senior citizens with limited mobility. Wiseman misappropriated the customers’ identities, personal information and access devices, and provided more than 10 stolen credit card numbers to Thorne and White. Under this scheme, Thorne used an unauthorized access device in March of 2005 to make 24 charges totaling approximately $8,000. On April 1 and 4, 2005, Thorne used an unauthorized access device to make a total of $960 in charges for hotel accommodations.

On March 22, 2005, a search of White’s home revealed 15 or more counterfeit and unauthorized access devices, including unauthorized access devices obtained in the names of customers of Dependable Medical whose identities Wiseman had misappropriated. Other access devices provided by Wiseman were seized by law enforcement before they could be used.

White, age 26, of Hyattsville, Maryland, was sentenced on August 31, 2006 to 30 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release for use of unauthorized access devices and using another individual’s identity in relation to a felony.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked the Montgomery County Police Department and United States Secret Service for their investigative work in this case. Mr. Rosenstein also praised Assistant United States Attorney Stuart A. Berman, who is prosecuting the case.