Pittsburgh Man Sentenced To Six Years In Prison For ID Theft Scheme

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Pittsburgh's North Side has been sentenced in federal court to 75 months incarceration on his conviction of conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

United States District Judge Arthur J. Schwab imposed the sentence on Joseph Dees, a/k/a Joseph Lee, a/k/a Jay Dees, 52.

According to the information presented to the court, Dees conspired with other persons to obtain stolen identities to obtain unauthorized American Express and Discover credit card account information which he and others used to purchase merchandise in stores in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

Inspectors from the United States Postal Inspection Service along with agents from the United States Secret Service who, as part of the Western Pennsylvania Financial Crimes Task Force (WPFCTF), conducted the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Joseph Dees. The WPFCTF was established as a collaborative, multi-agency effort to effectively combat financial crimes, including identity fraud, in Western Pennsylvania. Partnering in this effort are the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the United States Secret Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the Allegheny County District Attorney's Office, the Allegheny County Police Department, the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Pennsylvania State Police.