A New York man has pleaded guilty to fraudulently opening credit cards using the identities of others and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars without their consent, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.
Robert Lourenco, 52, from Queens, New York, entered his guilty plea via videoconference before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez. He admitted to one count of an indictment charging him with access device fraud.
Court documents state that in 2015, Lourenco befriended three victims, two of whom were senior citizens, and fraudulently opened 23 credit cards using their identities. His victims were unaware that their identities were being used to obtain credit cards, and they did not authorize Lourenco to do so. He used these credit cards to make more than $423,000 in unauthorized purchases.
Lourenco also used the debit card of a joint bank account belonging to two of his victims to make an additional $57,000 in unauthorized charges. The defendant admitted to knowing that at least one of his victims was vulnerable when he used their identity to commit the fraud.
Access device fraud carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to the greatest of $250,000, twice the gross pecuniary gain derived from the offense, or twice the gross pecuniary loss sustained by any victims of the offense, whichever is greatest. Lourenco is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 14, 2023.
U.S. Attorney Sellinger praised the special agents of the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge James E. Dennehy in Newark, for their investigation leading to the guilty plea. He also thanked the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office for their role in the investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Bender of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden is representing the government in this case.
Identity theft is a serious crime that can cause significant harm to victims. It can lead to financial loss, damage to credit scores, and even emotional distress. The Federal Trade Commission reported that there were over 1.4 million cases of identity theft reported in the U.S. in 2020, resulting in losses of over $1.9 billion.
To avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, individuals are advised to safeguard their personal information, such as their social security number, date of birth, and financial account information. They should also monitor their credit reports regularly for any suspicious activity and report any unauthorized charges to their financial institution immediately.
