Indian Trail Man Sentenced To Prison For Committing Fraud Using Stolen Identities Of Military Service Members

CHARLOTTE, N.C. –Shabazz Emmanuel McCarthan, 38, of Indian Trail, N.C., was sentenced to 51 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for committing fraud using the stolen identities of military service members, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to the prison term imposed, McCarthan was ordered to pay $175,544.45 in restitution to the victims.

James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in North Carolina joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.

According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, McCarthan and his co-conspirators engaged in an extensive identity fraud scheme whereby they obtained the personal identifying information (PII) of military service members and used the stolen PII to manufacture fictitious forms of identification in the victims’ names. Then, McCarthan used these fictitious forms of identification to fraudulently open bank accounts, lease apartment units, purchase furniture, and rent multiple vehicles. Court records also show that McCarthan generated income from the fraudulently leased apartments by subleasing them as short-term rentals, including using Airbnb. He also attempted to ship the rental vehicles overseas to Nigeria, the Togolese Republic in West Africa, and elsewhere. The loss amount associated with McCarthan’s fraud scheme exceeded $250,000 and his scheme damaged the credit of military members, including at least one service member who was deployed overseas.

McCarthan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and aggravated identity theft. He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and will be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

iIn making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the FBI for its investigation which led to the charges.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Savage and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Frick of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.