Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Pennsylvania

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, April 25, 2016

Drexel Hill Man Gets 12 Years For Running Identity Theft Ring

PHILADELPHIA - Benjamin Easley, 38, of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 144 months in prison in connection with a fraud and identity theft ring in which the conspirators stole and attempted to steal approximately $1.1 million from the banks they targeted.  Easley pleaded guilty in November 2014 to seven counts of bank fraud, 15 counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of conspiracy. Easley also pleaded guilty to two counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in a separate case against him. The cases were consolidated for sentencing.

Easley obtained the personal and bank account information of victims, recruited people to pose as those victims to make fraudulent withdrawals and wire transfers from the victims’ accounts, and provided false identity documents to use to access the victims’ accounts.  In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Rufe ordered restitution of $595,289, five years of supervised release, and a $2600 special assessment.

The cases were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Secret Service and were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys KT Newton and Michael Lowe.