BOISE – Jason Morel, 22, and Kenith Quesada, 23, of Bronx, New York pleaded guilty yesterday in United States District Court to aggravated identity theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael Gonzalez announced.
According to the plea agreements, Morel and Quesada traveled to Idaho to defraud AT&T stores and AT&T customers. Morel and Quesada fraudulently impersonated real AT&T customers, presented counterfeit driver’s licenses and credit cards, and purchased iPhones using other customers’ accounts. When they were arrested, law enforcement found 15 fake driver’s licenses bearing Morel’s and Quesada’s photographs, as well as 15 fake credit cards. Law enforcement verified that the names on the fake driver’s licenses and credit cards were real AT&T customers. Law enforcement also found 19 fraudulently-purchased iPhones still in their original packaging.
Sentencing is set for October 19, 2017, before Senior U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge.
Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory two years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release of up to one year, and a $100 special assessment.
The case was investigated by the Boise Police Department and the United States Secret Service.
--DOJ District of Idaho