Lafayette Man Sentenced to Imprisonment term and ordered to pay $127,667 in Restitution

HAMMOND – Yesterday, Tyrus Veals, 30, of Lafayette, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund after pleading guilty to Access Device Fraud, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.

Veals was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.  He was further ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $127,667 to the victims of the offense. 

According to documents filed in the case, Veals used stolen debit card information to fraudulently obtain at least $127,667 from a bank account belonging to a retired Arizona couple.  Veals connected the victims’ debit card to certain online gambling accounts he owned or controlled, enabling him to make regular withdrawals from the victims’ account over the course of approximately 6 months.  Veals then moved the stolen funds out of his online gambling accounts in the form of cash withdrawals and deposits into a personal bank account.  He ultimately spent the stolen funds on personal expenses including vacation travel and other big-ticket purchases.  Veals’ conduct depleted the retirement savings of the victims, one of whom had retired after 40 years of public service.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Indiana Gaming Commission and the Purdue University Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary D. Heater.