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Press Release

Tennessee Man Pleads Guilty to Identity Theft

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of New York
 

BUFFALO, N.Y.-- U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Omoruyi Ogbeide, of Knoxville, Tennessee, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara, to aggravated identity theft. The charge carries a mandatory penalty of two years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

            Assistant U.S. Attorney Maura K. O'Donnell, who handled the case, stated that the defendant was arrested by Amherst Police in May 2012 for patronizing a prostitute and was found to be in possession of multiple credit cards in the names of unknown individuals. Ogbeide's hotel room was later searched and law enforcement officers found additional fraudulent credit cards and credit-card making equipment. They also found a computer containing stolen identifying information, such as names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of numerous different individuals. The defendant used the information to produce fraudulent credit cards.

            The plea was the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in charge Tracy Gast and the Amherst Police Department, under the direction of Chief Chief John Askey.

            Sentencing is scheduled for November 20, 2013, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.

 

Updated December 9, 2014