Leader Of Identity Theft Ring Targeting Government Employees And Others Sentenced To 12 Years

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Jenaro Blalock, 31, of Clinton, Md., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.  Blalock also was ordered to pay full restitution to the victims.

Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Kathy A. Michalko, Special Agent in Charge for the United States Secret Service’s Washington Field Office; and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler, Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by United States District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

Blalock pleaded guilty on Oct. 29, 2013.

According to court documents, between June 2011 and July 2013, Blalock and co-leader Christopher Bush recruited women with access to identity information through their employers to steal more than 600 identities, primarily belonging to employees of the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Agency for  International Development.  Blalock provided blank driver’s licenses so that Bush could make fraudulent driver’s licenses bearing the victims’ real names, addresses and dates of birth.  Blalock also made fraudulent credit cards bearing victims’ names.  Members of the identity theft ring, including Blalock, used those fraudulent driver’s licenses and victims’ social security numbers to open instant credit lines at retailers and obtain rental cars, which were frequently sold on the black market with altered vehicle identification numbers.  The identity theft ring caused victim losses of between $1 million and $2.5 million.

On Jan. 17, 2014, co-leader Bush was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Fairfax County Police Department, with assistance from the City of Fairfax Police Department, Prince George’s County Washington Area Vehicle Enforcement, Prince George’s County Financial Crimes Section, the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, the Delaware State Police, the Maryland State Police, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of State.  Assistant United States Attorney Lindsay Kelly and Special Assistant United States Attorney Peter Roman of the Department of Justice’s Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.