Dominican Republic National Admits Conspiracy And Selling Stolen Identifications

CAMDEN, N.J. - A Dominican Republic national today admitted his role in a conspiracy to commit identity theft, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

Daury Cordero, 31, a citizen of the Dominican Republic with addresses in Camden, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman to an indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy and one count of unlawful transfer, possession or use of a means of identification. A federal grand jury in Camden returned the sealed indictment Sept. 19, 2018.

IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agents located Cordero in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

In January 2016, one of Cordero’s accomplices, Cesar Abreu, was cleaning an office building in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Abreu stole a list titled: “Town of Uxbridge,” which contained names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth for 62 people. Cordero enlisted another individual, Pedro Santana, to find someone who would use the list of names to create and file fraudulent federal income tax returns. Eventually, Cordero and Santana found a buyer – who was, in fact, an undercover IRS agent – and sold him the list for $2,500.

Abreu pleaded guilty in December 2017 and was sentenced in October 2018 to three years of probation. Santana pleaded guilty in August 2015 and was sentenced in March 2017 to three years of probation and ordered to pay $4.6 million in restitution.

The count of conspiracy and the count of transferring a means of identification to which Daury Cordero pleaded guilty each carry a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for June 28, 2019.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of IRS - Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge John R. Tafur, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Camden.

Defense counsel: Rocco Cipparone Jr. Esq. Haddon Heights, New Jersey