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Description: Cleveland, Ohio criminal lawyer represented Defendant charged with using stolen financial information to purchase gasoline.

From May 2019 through May 2020, Charles E. Smith, Jr., age 52, from Woodmere, Ohio, the former Mayor of Woodmere, Ohio, purchased stolen credit and debit card account information, including account numbers and addresses, from the dark web. Smith then used a credit card reader encoder/writer to program that information onto blank cards and used those cards to make fraudulent purchases of gasoline at various gas stations in Northern Ohio. Court records state that Smith purchased the gasoline to fuel vehicles that he used to deliver packages for Amazon.

In total, Smith purchased at least $10,621.23 in gasoline using over 100 stolen debit and credit card accounts. After his arrest, investigators later determined that Smith had purchased more than 600 stolen debit and credit card accounts from the dark web, affecting victims in 25 states.

Smith pleaded guilty to one count of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft on May 19, 2022.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Payum Doroodian.

18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(2) Access Device Fraud - Using Unauthorized Access Devices
(1)

18 U.S.C. § 1028A(a)(1) Aggravated Identity Theft
(2)

Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to on Counts 1: 9 months and Count 2: 24 months for a total of 33 months on the Indictment, to be served consecutive. Supervised Release for a term of 2 years on Counts 1 and 2 of the Indictment. Fine waived. Special Assessment $200.00. Defendant to pay restitution in the amount of $ 10,621.23.

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Defendant's Experts:

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