Louisiana Man Faces up to 20 Years After Admitting to Using Stolen Identity to Charge More than $77k

Louisiana - U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans said on November 2, 2022, that Corey Thomas, 49, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pled guilty to wire fraud stemming from fraudulent charges he made in someone else's name at local retailers.

Court filings show that Thomas exploited a victim's personal identifying information to make fraudulent charges at Best Buy and multiple Lowe's Home Improvement stores in New Orleans and the surrounding parishes. Thomas attempted to make the purchases on behalf of other legitimate customers, offering to charge the items on a store credit card in exchange for a cash payment less than the purchase amount. The plea agreement required Thomas to reimburse a total of $77,781.98 to Synchrony Bank, which issued the Lowe's credit cards used in his fraud.

Thomas risks up to twenty years in prison when sentenced. Thomas risks up to three years of supervised release after any period of incarceration, as well as a fine of up to $250,000 and a statutory $100 special assessment fee. Sentencing has been set for February 15, 2023, by Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle.

U.S. Attorney Evans applauded the Federal Bureau of Investigation's work. The prosecution is led by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas D. Moses.