Alleged Fraudster Used Social Media As Crime Tool

PHILADELPHIA - An indictment was unsealed today charging Aaron Dashawn Caple, 23, of Philadelphia, PA, in a fraud scheme involving bad checks and social media.  Caple is charged with four counts of bank fraud and 22 counts of aggravated identity theft, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger.

According to the indictment, Caple used social media services Twitter and Facebook to solicit potential co-schemers to message him if they wanted to make quick cash and had an account at a bank or other financial institution.  From those that responded, he obtained their bank ATM cards and PIN numbers and allegedly used that information to deposit bad checks into those accounts and withdraw the funds before the banks and other financial institutions realized that the checks were bad.  He also allegedly used the ATM cards and PIN numbers at various stores to purchase goods and obtain cash back prior to the banks discovering that the checks were bad.  It is further alleged that Caple paid the account holders a portion of the more than $45,000 he unlawfully obtained as a result of the scheme.

If convicted, defendant Caple faces a mandatory minimum term of two years in prison with a statutory maximum sentence of 144 years, up to five years of supervised release, a fine of up to $9.5 million, and restitution of at least $47,000.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael S. Lowe.

An indictment is an accusation.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty