Fair Oaks Man Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Prison for Opening Bank Accounts Using IDs Stolen from U.S. Mail

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. sentenced Trevor Kintaro Lichnock-Gembe, 29, of Fair Oaks, today to four years and 10 months in prison for bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unlawful possession of identification documents of others, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between June 14, 2015, and June 1, 2016, Lichnock-Gembe and co-defendant Shellby L. Moore, 29, of Sacramento, stole mail and obtained other stolen property containing personal and financial information of victims from residential and vehicle burglaries in Placer County, Sacramento County, and El Dorado County. Lichnock-Gembe and Moore used stolen mail and victim identification and financial information to alter and manufacture checks that were cashed at the expense of local banks and credit unions. Lichnock-Gembe possessed over five different stolen victim identifications, and he and Moore opened bank accounts using the stolen personal and financial information in order to deposit stolen checks and withdraw cash. Lichnock-Gembe was arrested on June 1, 2016, while leaving a Sacramento apartment complex at which he had just stolen mail.

San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Rafael Nunez of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service stated, “Postal Inspectors worked closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners in law enforcement to arrest and prosecute those individuals responsible for thefts of mail and identity theft crimes committed against the public.”

This case is the product of an investigation of the United States Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

On March 13, 2017, Moore pleaded guilty to aggravated ID theft and using methamphetamine while in federal custody. She is scheduled for sentencing on June 8, 2017, before Judge England. Moore faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.