FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
ANGELA DODGE |
February 7, 2011 |
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER |
(713) 567-9388 |
HOUSTON BUSINESSMAN CONVICTED OF BANK ACCESS DEVICE FRAUD
(HOUSTON) - After a four day trial and one hour of deliberations a federal jury has found Peter Luong Tan guilty of all counts - conspiracy to commit bank fraud and five counts of access devise fraud, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today. The jury returned its verdicts on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011.
Tran, 48, of Houston, was accused and now stands convicted of using his now defunct furniture store on Westheimer Avenue to process fraudulently obtained credit cards in exchange for cash, between November 2008 and March 2009. The fraud, which resulted in more than $400,000 in losses, was discovered when a co-conspirator was arrested with two receipts in his pockets from Tran's business totaling more than $20,000.
In their argument to the jury, prosecutors described Tran as having “turned his store into an ATM for identity thieves.”
U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon, who presided over the trial, has set sentencing for May 13, 2011. Tran faces 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge and five years in prison for each of the five access device charges.
The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Julie Searle and Andino Reynal are prosecuting and tried the case.
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