VIRGINIA — The leader of an identity theft ring that stole more than 600 identities from federal employees and others was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 12 years in prison, federal authorities said.
The identity theft ring caused victim losses of between $1 million and $2.5 million, according to officials.
Jenaro Blalock, 31, of Clinton, Md., pleaded guilty in October to access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
From June 2011 to July 2013, Blalock and co-leader Christopher Bush recruited women who had access to information through their employees to steal IDs. The ID theft ring stole more than 600 identities, say officials.
The stolen IDs belonged mostly to the employees with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
According to authorities, this is how the ID ring operated:
- Blalock provided blank driver’s licenses so that Bush could make fraudulent driver’s licenses bearing the victims’ real names, addresses and dates of birth.
- Blalock also made fraudulent credit cards bearing victims’ names.
- Members of the identity theft ring, including Blalock, used those fraudulent driver’s licenses and victims’ Social Security numbers to open instant credit lines at retailers and obtain rental cars, which were frequently sold on the black market with altered vehicle identification numbers.
In October, Bush was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison.