Credit card theft ringleader sentenced

ATLANTA - Quentin Pickett has been sentenced for operating a credit card theft ring that stole hundreds of credit cards that were being mailed to accountholders.  Pickett and his co-conspirators stole credit cards from the secured baggage loading area of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and a private mail sorting facility.  After stealing the credit cards, Pickett and his co-conspirators used them at ATMs and elsewhere, attempting over $2.3M in fraudulent transactions and succeeding in extracting approximately $1.7M in funds. 

“The harm caused to the citizens and financial institutions affected by this ring is substantial,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “People expect their mail to be handled securely, especially within the protected areas of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.  Pickett led a ring of thieves that circumvented the protocols for secure handling of mail, with no care for those affected by this theft.  Citizens must be diligent and continually monitor their own accounts as criminals look for new ways to victimize the public.” 

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure the U.S. Mails are not utilized as a tool to defraud victims in these types of schemes. This investigation is an excellent example of a partnership between law enforcement agencies working together and I fully commend the hard work and countless hours put forth by all the law enforcement agencies involved, which resulted in bringing these individuals to justice,” said David M. McGinnis, Inspector in Charge of the Charlotte Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

“The United States Secret Service and our law enforcement partners will continue to take an aggressive approach to arrest individuals who violate their positions of trust to illegally enrich themselves,” said Kenneth Cronin, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office. “This sentence should be a warning to Pickett, Herring, and other like-minded criminals that when they steal from the American people they will be punished for their wrongdoings.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges and other information presented in court: From December of 2015 until April of 2017, the defendants stole credit cards from the secured baggage loading areas of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and a private mail sorting facility.  The stolen credit cards were being shipped via the U.S. Postal Service to the rightful accountholders, who were located throughout the United States. 

Pickett was involved in almost every aspect of the scheme, interfacing with co-conspirators who stole credit cards and those who were involved in extracting value from the stolen credit cards.  Cornelius Henderson, through his employment at the airport, had access to the airport’s secured baggage loading areas, where he stole mail that contained credit cards.  Treveyon Herring worked at a private mail sorting facility where he also stole mail containing credit cards.  LaSuhn Turner and Brandon Foster participated in the scheme by assisting Pickett in obtaining cash from the stolen credit cards.  Turner used stolen credit cards at ATMs to obtain cash advances.  Foster, through his employment as a bank teller, executed fraudulent transactions at the bank when presented with stolen credit cards by other co-conspirators. 

Quentin Pickett, 25, of Jonesboro, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross, to six years, nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,758,476.67.  Pickett’s co-defendants have also been sentenced:

• On January 9, 2018, Cornelius Henderson, 23, of Riverdale, Georgia, was sentenced to serve five years and five months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  He was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $478,222.97.
• On January 10, 2018, Treveyon Herring, 22, of Forest Park, Georgia, was sentenced to serve two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  He was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,329,334.41.
• On December 7, 2017, LaSuhn Turner, 25 of Stockbridge, Georgia, was sentenced to three years’ probation, with eight months’ home confinement.  He was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $70,483.50.
• On January 16, 2018, Brandon Foster, 25, of Stockbridge, Georgia, was sentenced to three years’ probation, with eight months’ home confinement.  He was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $14,831.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Secret Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.