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Press Release

WISCONSIN MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO WIRE FRAUD AND TRAFFICKING ACCESS DEVICES

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Wisconsin

Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on October 24, 2019, Robert A. Gordon (age: 35) of Weston, Wisconsin, pleaded guilty under oath before United States Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin to one count of wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and one count of trafficking access devices, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(2).

In a written plea agreement filed in the case, Gordon acknowledged that from June 2018 through May 2019, he engaged in a scheme to defraud Kohl’s Department Stores, Inc. (“Kohl’s”) and its customers by obtaining stolen “Kohl’s Cash” coupons and then selling them through his Twitter account, “@OfficialJigLord.” Gordon also used stolen Kohl’s Cash coupons to make purchases for himself. “Kohl’s Cash” is part of a rewards program Kohl’s offers to customers. Customers earn Kohl’s Cash coupons based on their purchases and they can redeem those coupons for additional purchases.

Gordon acknowledged that he knew that the Kohl’s Cash coupons that he advertised, sold, and used had been stolen through credential-stuffing campaigns on Kohl’s webstore in an effort to gain unauthorized access to individual customers’ online accounts. Credential stuffing occurs when an individual uses a computer program to rapidly run a large database of stolen username/password combinations (i.e., credentials) against the websites of various businesses in an attempt to access individuals’ online accounts and commit fraud. These types of credential stuffing campaigns are successful only when individuals reuse the same username/password combination for multiple online accounts. 

Magistrate Judge Duffin has issued a written recommendation to United States District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller that Gordon’s guilty plea be accepted. Judge Stadtmueller set a sentencing hearing for January 22, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 425. At sentencing, Gordon faces a maximum of up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud, and up to 10 years in prison for trafficking access devices. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service, the Wauwatosa Police Department, the Greenfield Police Department, and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division. This criminal case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin Proctor and Scott Campbell.

Updated October 29, 2019