L.A. Man Sentenced to Over 7 Years in Prison for Using Information from Elderly Victims to Obtain Credit Cards and Buy Luxury Goods
LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles man was sentenced yesterday morning to 90 months in federal prison for his role in an international identity theft and credit card fraud scheme which targeted elderly cardholders.
Sedrick Bagby, 36, who resides in South Los Angeles, received the prison sentence yesterday morning from United States District Judge Dale S. Fischer, who also ordered Bagby to pay over $288 thousand in restitution, which represents the total amount of losses while Bagby was part of the scheme.
Bagby was arrested in March 2012 and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud in June 2012. According to court documents, Bagby was involved in a conspiracy that took control of about thirty credit cards, most of which belonged to elderly victims. As part of the scheme, British members of the fraud scheme impersonated the typically elderly cardholders and asked the credit card company to send replacement cards to the Southern California. The British members would claim to be on vacation in Southern California and state that they planned to make large purchases while there.
After the fraudulently obtained replacement cards arrived in Southern California, armed with fake driver’s licenses that matched the victims’ identities, Bagby and other members of the scheme used the credit cards to attempt to purchase more than $371 thousand in luxury goods, including Rolex watches and items at Louis Vuitton, Geary’s, and Ben Bridge Jeweler’s stores across Southern California.
Prior to Bagby’s sentencing, another member of the conspiracy – Doren Harold Ward, 37, of Park La Brea – was convicted following a four-day jury trial of six felony counts, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, credit card fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Ward is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Terry J. Hatter on October 22.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Los Angeles Identity Theft and Economic Crimes (ITEC) Task Force, a U.S. Postal Inspection Service-funded task force. ITEC includes Postal Inspectors and agents from the United States Secret Service. The Costa Mesa Police Department provided assistance in the investigation.
Release No. 12-128
