Five members of credit card theft ring plead guilty
ATLANTA – Treveyon Herring, one of five defendants charged with stealing credit cards from the baggage loading areas of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and a private mail sorting facility, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy.
“Americans depend on the United States mail system to carry some of their most vital and sensitive correspondence, like the new credit cards in this case,” said U. S. Attorney John Horn. “By exploiting the airport’s baggage loading processes, these defendants were able to plunder mail bags and steal new credit cards on their way to customers across the country.”
“Postal Inspectors have a long and proud history of protecting the U.S. mail from criminal activity,” said David M. McGinnis, Inspector in Charge, Charlotte Division. “These defendants violated the trust bestowed upon them to handle mail and the law for their own personal gain. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service takes allegations of mail theft seriously and investigates these matters to ensure the integrity of the U.S. Postal Service.”
“Herring and his conspirators were creative in their scheme to steal victims’ credit cards and defraud them,” said Kenneth Cronin, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Atlanta Field Office. “The United States Secret Service will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to arrest criminals who use their trustworthy positions to violate unsuspecting victims.”
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: From December of 2015 until April of 2017, the defendants stole credit cards from the baggage loading areas of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and a private mail sorting facility. Cornelius Henderson, through his employment, had access to the airport’s 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 assisted in the scheme by obtaining cash from the stolen credit cards.
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Turner used stolen credit cards at ATMs to obtain cash advances, while 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 was involved in almost every aspect of the scheme alleged in the indictment, interacting with co-conspirators who stole credit cards and those who were involved in extracting value from the stolen credit cards.
The stolen credit cards were shipped via the U.S. Postal Service to the rightful accountholders, who were located throughout the United States. In total, the scheme caused over $1.7M in fraud-related losses.
All five defendants were charged in a criminal indictment on May 23, 2017. Herring is the last of the five defendants to enter a guilty plea in the case. The other defendants are as follows:
- Quentin Pickett, 25, of Jonesboro, Georgia, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft on September 25, 2017, and agreed to the entry of a restitution order in the amount of $1,759,301.14. Pickett is scheduled to be sentenced on January 10, 2018.
- Cornelius Henderson, 23, of Riverdale, Georgia, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft on September 25, 2017, and agreed to the entry of a restitution order in the amount of $429,142.26. Henderson is scheduled to be sentenced on January 9, 2018.
- LaSuhn Turner, 25, of Stockbridge, Georgia, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy on August 30, 2017, and agreed to the entry of a restitution order in the amount of $70,483.05. Turner is scheduled to be sentenced on December 5, 2017.
- Brandon Foster, 24, of Stockbridge, Georgia, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy on August 24, 2017, and agreed to the entry of a restitution order in the amount of $14,831.00. Foster is scheduled to be sentenced on November 17, 2017.
Treveyon Herring, 22, of Forest Park, Georgia, is scheduled to be sentenced on January 10, 2018. As part of a plea agreement, Herring agreed to the entry of a restitution order in the amount of $1,341,778.96. All five defendants in this case are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Secret Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Samir Kaushal is prosecuting the case.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov (link sends e-mail) 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.
