Columbus man pleads guilty to fraud crimes related to stealing identities for lines of credit

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man pleaded guilty in federal court here today to fraud crimes related to stealing identities to get more than $100,000 in fraudulent lines of credit.

Siyuan Ye, 24, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to his plea agreement, between January 2022 and August 2023, Ye stole the identities of at least 15 victims. Ye repeatedly obtained Ohio and Florida driver licenses of other individuals without their authorization and then used the licenses to fraudulently obtain credit from retailers in the victims’ names.

He used the fraudulent credit to purchase a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, three motorcycles and a variety of electronics.

For example, in April 2023, Ye used a stolen identity and fraudulent line of credit to purchase $8,400 worth of goods from a Micro Center in Columbus. Ye bought graphics cards, laptops and an Apple watch.

That same month, Ye used the same Ohio victim’s identity to buy a Suzuki motorcycle at Iron Pony Motorsports in Westerville.

As part of his plea, Ye has agreed to pay more than $115,000 in restitution. Parties involved in his case have recommended a sentence of 24 to 36 months in prison.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Shawn Gibson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit, announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

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