California Man Sentenced for Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft

BOISE – Derrick Courtney Franklin, II, 29, of Los Angeles, California, was sentenced yesterday to 42 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for the crimes of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.  Senior U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb of the Eastern District of California also ordered Franklin to pay restitution of $1,527.64 to victims of the offense.  Franklin pleaded guilty on August 1, 2016.

According to the court proceedings, Franklin agreed to travel to Idaho for the purpose of making fraudulent purchases of gift cards and prepaid debit cards from retail stores, using stolen credit card numbers encoded and embossed onto stock debit and credit cards.  Franklin and his co-defendant, Jassmine Pettaway, 27, of Los Angeles, California, made at least eight fraudulent purchases from at least four different retail stores, in the amount of at least $20,225.86.  Law enforcement recovered a fake Michigan driver’s license, at least 19 counterfeit credit cards, and at least 45 gift cards.  Pettaway was sentenced on September 8, 2016, to 32 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Meridian Police Department, the Boise Police Department, and the U.S. Secret Service (USSS).