Couple Indicted for Fraud and Indentity Theft Schemes

WILMINGTON, Del. – Charles M. Oberly, III, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced today that Tyron Burgess, age 34, and Tyshene Mungo, age 38, of Dover and New York were indicted by a federal grand jury on July 24, 2012, for numerous fraud-related offenses. Mr. Burgess and Ms. Mungo were charged with four counts of mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, access device fraud, identity theft, and aggravated identity theft. In addition, Mr. Burgess was charged with one count of wire fraud and two counts of bank fraud and misuse of a social security number. The maximum penalties for each of these offenses range from five to thirty years. The aggravated identity theft charges carry a mandatory two year term of imprisonment, in addition to any other term of imprisonment imposed.

The Indictment alleges that Mr. Burgess and Ms. Mungo engaged in an account takeover scheme, where they would contact a credit card company, and, using personal identification information belonging to others without their authorization, verify the account and request that a replacement card be sent to one of several addresses controlled by Burgess and Mungo, including one in Dover, Delaware. Mr. Burgess and Ms. Mungo would activate the cards and rapidly incur significant charges on those cards at a variety of retail locations in Delaware and New York. In addition, the Indictment alleges that Mr. Burgess conducted a second account takeover scheme and fraudulently obtained personal and vehicle loans, all utilizing other people’s identification information without their permission or authorization.

United States Attorney Oberly said, “The Indictment reflects this office’s commitment to protecting the integrity of individuals’ personal identification information and prosecuting those individuals who destroy the financial well-being of innocent victims.”

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, and the United States Secret Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lesley Wolf.

Members of the public are reminded that an Indictment is only an allegation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.