United States Attorney James T. Jacks
Northern District of Texas

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2011
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/txn/

DEFENDANT IN MASSIVE ID THEFT CASE SENTENCED
TO MORE THAN SIX YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON

Many of Defendant’s Victims Are Active-Duty and Reserve U.S. Service Members

DALLAS — A man who stole approximately 16,000 identities, including those belonging to active duty and reserve U.S. service members, and used them to defraud the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), was sentenced this afternoon in federal court in Dallas. Rene Quimby, 42, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jane J. Boyle to 75 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $210.119 in restitution to AAFES. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas (NDTX).

Quimby has been in federal custody since his arrest in Redlands, California, in February 2011 on charges outlined in an indictment returned in the NDTX. He pleaded guilty in May 2011 to one count of fraud and related activity in connection with access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft.

AAFES, headquartered in Dallas, is a non-appropriated fund instrumentality of the U.S. government. It owns and operates thousands of retail outlets called Post or Base Exchanges, located on military installations worldwide, that are similar to any civilian retail outlet (such as Wal-Mart). AAFES also transacts retail commerce on line at AAFES.com, which is now known as shopmyexchange.com. Money it generates is used to fund morale, welfare and recreational programs that benefit service members worldwide, including those in war zones.

According to documents filed in the case and evidence presented at this afternoon’s sentencing hearing, from January through December 2007, Quimby used various file-sharing programs to search for and download victims’ computer files containing personally identifiable information including, names, dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers and user names and passwords to various online accounts, and used this information to make fraudulent online purchases. Many of his victims are active-duty and reserve service members.

Quimby had more than 16,000 identities on his computer and had organized approximately 650 files of victims’ personal information, credit card numbers, etc., and used this information to purchase various merchandise, including computers, digital cameras, Apple iPods, and washers and dryers from the AAFES.com website. Quimby would have the merchandise sent to various addresses in southern California where it would be retrieved and sold, i.e., “fenced.” Quimby received the proceeds from the fenced merchandise.

“U.S. Postal Inspectors will continue to aggressively investigate those who violate the laws meant to protect the Postal Service its employees and our nation’s citizens,” said B. Bernard Ferguson, Inspector in Charge for the Los Angeles Division of the Postal Inspection Service.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Gatto was in charge of the prosecution.

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