Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft Scheme While on Probation for Similar Offenses

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tou Fue Lor, 24, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty today to mail fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, credit application fraud, and unlawful possession of identification documents, all committed while he was on supervised release for similar crimes he had previously committed, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to the plea agreement, on May 20, 2014, Lor was convicted and later sentenced to serve 18 months in federal custody to be followed by three years of supervised release for identity theft offenses. After serving his sentence and while on supervised release, Lor failed to report his whereabouts to federal probation authorities.

Lor admitted in court that between May 2017 and July 2017, he operated a scheme to steal money from banks. Using victims’ stolen identification documents, Lor applied for checking and savings accounts and deposited stolen and altered checks into the accounts. He also applied for a line of credit using the identity of another victim.

According to court documents, on July 11, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Lor’s residence and found evidence of Lor’s fraudulent activity. Lor left the Sacramento area and was arrested in Fresno on February 20, 2018. He pleaded guilty today to the new federal charges and admitted to violations of the terms of his supervised release.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Roseville Police Department and the California Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.

Lor is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on July 30, 2018. Lor faces a maximum statutory sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for mail fraud, bank fraud, and credit application fraud, and a mandatory minimum of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft to be served consecutively to any other sentence. 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.