Renata Galvan Sentenced To Five Years In Prison For Wire Fraud Conspiracy And Aggravated Identity Theft

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On Sept. 8, 2014, Renata Rochelle Galvan, 52, of Mission, Tex., was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison by the Honorable Pamela L. Reeves, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Judge Reeves further ordered Galvan to pay $1,031,070.09 in restitution to the victim, Telecheck, and imposed a term of supervised release of three years upon her release from prison.

Galvan pleaded guilty in April 2013 to a federal indictment charging her with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. She, her husband, and her sister conspired in a scheme to negotiate counterfeit checks at retailers in Tennessee, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Texas, resulting in losses in excess of $1 million. The conspirators were able to steal the identities of people who had indicated on social media that they “liked” certain retailers. The trio posed as persons whose identities they stole to negotiate counterfeit checks to purchase electronics and other merchandise, which they re-sold on an Internet auction website, and prepaid credit cards.

The indictment and subsequent conviction of Galvan was the result of an investigation conducted by the U.S. Secret Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Morris represented the United States.