Two Florida men plead guilty to bank fraud and credit card conspiracy

March 23rd, 2010 - 4:34 am ICT by BNO News  

MIAMI (BNO NEWS) – Two Florida men pleaded guilty to bank fraud and credit card conspiracy, prosecutors said Monday.

Christopher James Wortham and William Frank Simmons, Jr., both residents of Fort Pierce, Florida, admitted to stealing personal identification information and selling it to co-conspirator Tychella Robinson, who would obtain payday loans and open fraudulent credit card accounts.

Port St. Lucie police arrested Simmons for prowling and loitering. He then admitted to acting as lookout for Wortham, who had been breaking into cars and buildings to obtain personal identity information. Police later obtained a search warrant for Wortham’s home and car, and discovered 12 debit/credit cards and two social security cards in different names.

Robinson paid Wortham for each stolen identification he brought to her, sometimes giving Wortham or Simmons some of the newly opened fraudulent credit cards as payment for the stolen biographical information they gave her.

Robinson would have the credit cards mailed to different addresses in Fort Pierce and throughout St. Lucie County, where Wortham and Simmons would then pick them up. Wortham was then instructed to text message the information from the credit cards to her, charging against the accounts, without having the physical card.

Tychella Robinson was sentenced on March 1 to 99 months in prison for her part in the conspiracy.

Simmons and Wortham pleaded guilty are scheduled to be sentenced on June 7 as they will be facing a maximum prison sentence of 30 years.

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