Members of Identity Theft Ring Sentenced
Las Vegas, Nev. – Two individuals charged last year in a multi-state identity theft and credit card fraud conspiracy were sentenced today to federal prison terms, announced Steven W. Myhre, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Bao Quoc Tan, age 30, of Los Angeles, California, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lloyd George to 61 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $121,029 in restitution. He pleaded guilty on April 4, 2007, to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and to Traffic in and Use Counterfeit Access Devices, one count of Trafficking in Counterfeit Access Devices and Aiding and Abetting, and one count of Aggravated Identity Theft.
Brian Thang Ngo, age 40, of Los Angeles, California, was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $38,234.75 in restitution. He pleaded guilty on April 3, 2007, to one count of Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud and to Traffic in and Use Counterfeit Access Devices and one count of Trafficking in Counterfeit Access Devices and Aiding and Abetting.
From December 2, 2004, until April 30, 2005, Bao Quoc Tan, Brian Thang Ngo, Kennedy Le, and others victimized more than 25 financial institutions by obtaining counterfeit credit cards encoded with stolen credit card account numbers. The defendants then traveled from out-of-state to Nevada, and used the counterfeit credit cards to fraudulently obtain goods and services from Nevada merchants and to obtain cash advances at Nevada casinos, including Harrahs Hotel and Casino in Lake Tahoe and the Excalibur Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
On April 14, 2006, Kennedy Le, age 34, was sentenced to 39 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $56,375.74 in restitution. Le pleaded guilty on December 21, 2005, to one count of Trafficking in Counterfeit Access Device and Aiding and Abetting and one count of Aggravated Identity Theft.
This case is a result of an investigation by the United States Secret Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kimberly M. Frayn.
