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Brooklyn man and three others charged in $1.5M identity theft scheme

February 20, 2018 By Rob Abruzzese, Legal Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Four men who stole over $1.5 million through automobile loans and credit cards will be tried in Brooklyn’s federal court for their alleged crimes. Eagle file photo by Rob Abruzzese
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Four men, including one from Brooklyn, were charged on Tuesday on six charges related to bank fraud and identity theft that resulted in the theft of more than $1.5 million.

Defendants Timel McRae, 41, from Brooklyn, Christian Hicks of Queens, Stanley Valon from Long Island and Roman Guevara from Sunnyvale, California, were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.

“As alleged in the indictment, the defendants used other people’s personally identifiable information, together with false information, to obtain loans by fraud and steal money from banks,” stated interim U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue, of the Eastern District of New York. “This Office, together with our law enforcement partners, is committed to protecting our financial system from those who use fraud to line their own pockets.”

The four defendants allegedly promised victims that they would help them secure auto loans by entering into joint ownership agreements, or that they would help improve their credit scores, according to court documents.

The defendants would then allegedly use the ill-gained personal information, such as dates of birth and social security numbers, to apply to financial institutions for automobile loans, lines of credit and credit cards for their own benefit. The total value of these schemes added up to more than $1.5 million in loans.

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