Identity Thief Sent To Prison For More Than 7 Years For Role In Credit Card And Cigarette Trafficking Scheme

RALEIGH – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced that today in federal court Chief United States District Judge James C. Dever, III sentenced ALPHA OUMAR DIALLO, 24, of New York, to serve a total of 95 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, on charges of Aggravated Identity Theft, and Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud.  DIALLO was also ordered to make restitution to numerous victims.

According to the Indictment, DIALLO and co-conspirator Mamadou Bah were participants in a stolen credit card and cigarette trafficking scheme in 2013 and 2014.  The purpose of the scheme was to use stolen credit card account information to purchase large quantities of cigarettes in North Carolina which were resold in other states.  To carry out the scheme, participants acquired stolen credit card data from other conspirators and encoded the stolen data onto the magnetic strip of what appeared to be legitimate gift cards.  Approximately 421 stolen credit card accounts were linked to DIALLO during the investigation of the case.

DIALLO admitted his involvement in the fraud, which included multiple fraudulent purchases of cigarettes from a gas station in Halifax County between December of 2013 and January of 2014.  At the time of the fraud, DIALLO had absconded from federal supervision in Ohio relating to a prior offense of Access Device Fraud.  A search of DIALLO’s residence and vehicle yielded other counterfeit credit cards and a firearm.  After initially agreeing to plead guilty to the offense, DIALLO again absconded.  DIALLO was later apprehended in Georgia where he attempted to escape the present charges by providing a fake name and date of birth to police.

Investigation of DIALLO’s case was conducted by the United States Secret Service, with the assistance of the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office and the Raleigh Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney William M. Gilmore represented the United States.