United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

WOMAN CONVICTED IN CREDIT CARD FRAUD SCHEME
SENTENCED TO 9 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON

DALLAS — A Dallas woman, Dimetriace Eva Lavon John, who was convicted by a federal jury in February on all counts of a federal indictment charging her with several felony offenses related to a credit card fraud scheme she ran, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jorge A. Solis to 108 months (nine years) in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas.

John, who was employed by Citigroup Credit Services, Inc. as an Account Manager, was convicted on all seven counts of the indictment, including conspiracy to commit fraud with an access device (credit card), four counts of fraud with an access device, and two counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer of a financial institution.

John worked in the Home Depot department of Citigroup Credit Services, which provided credit for Home Depot credit cards. She recruited co-defendant Leland C. Riley, to engage in a conspiracy to transact fraudulent purchases using credit card accounts belonging to Citigroup credit card customers. As part of the conspiracy, she printed confidential Citigroup credit card account documents and gave them to Riley. She also taught him how to call the Citigroup Credit Services Call Center, answer the verification questions from unsuspecting customer service representatives, and add “authorized buyers” to the accounts who were not really known to the actual account owners. Riley also changed mailing addresses and contact telephone numbers for the accounts, which allowed him to take over those accounts. He even ordered new credit cards for some of those accounts and had them mailed to a vacant house across the street from his home in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Riley then recruited two other co-conspirators, Ashley Harris and Tronicka Webb, and sent them to various Home Depot stores in the Dallas - Fort Worth area to purchase items using the compromised accounts. Riley directed them to purchase various types of merchandise, as well as thousands of dollars in gift cards. John compromised a total of 76 Citigroup credit card accounts and actual losses totaled $78,750.36.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Penley and Candy Heath.

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