Thirty people, including 20 Nigerians and a
Hudson County jail nurse, have been arrested in a multimillion,
multi-state identity theft and credit card fraud ring by United States
authorities.
According to a US medium, The Jersey Journal, the Hudson County
Prosecutor's Office first got involved in the investigation in the early
fall of 2012, when they received numerous complaints from victims as
far away as California claiming that credit cards in their name made
fraudulent retail purchases in Hudson County, officials said today.
Using store video and physical surveillance, the detectives were able
to identify several suspects, authorities state. Detectives then linked
those suspects to hundreds of other accounts and millions of dollars in
phony transactions.
The leaders of the group, authorities say, purchased the identities
of unsuspecting victims from online brokers, who got the information
from computer hackers across the United States.
In a process known as "punching," electronic account information from
the cards' magnetic strips would be transferred onto counterfeit cards,
which were provided to "strikers" who conducted the purchases at
retailers all over the Eastern Seaboard, authorities say.
Teams of strikers purchased retail gift cards that were then used to
purchase various electronic items, authorities say. Those items were
then sold in bulk to fences in New York and New Jersey, authorities say.
The fence would then sell the items to other people for cash payments.
The investigation has identified nearly 1,000 victims across the
country and millions of dollars in phony transactions, authorities say.
Authorities say the suspects spent the proceeds on luxury cars,
high-end jewelry and other lavish expenses. Some of the money was
additionally sent to accounts in Nigeria, authorities say.
Acting Hudson County Prosecutor Guy Gregory commended a long list of
agencies that were involved in the take down, saying, "The operation
could not have succeeded without their assistance."
Defendants charged with money laundering, theft by deception,
wrongful impersonation and conspiracy include: Bolaji Ola, 30, of
Sayreville; Olamide Otti, 27, of Queens; Akintunde Adeyemi, 28, of East
Orange; David Brown, 27, of Parlin; Adegbola Adedeji, 31, of Parlin;
Oluwaseun Jato, 23, of Hillside; Oluwasola Diji, 31, of Westbury, NY;
Oladapo Araromi, 26, of Elizabeth; and Bertrand Ahaneku, 25, of South
Orange.
Those charged with theft by deception, wrongful impersonation, and
conspiracy include: Oluwaseun Adekoya, 25, of Sewaren; Henry Abdul, 25,
of Union; Babatunde Oyefeso, 27, Union; Michael Assih, 24, of East
Orange; John Orubo, 32, of Brooklyn; Idris Soyemi, 25, of Brooklyn;
Imrahim Akaba, 23, of Piscataway; Vladimir Francois, 27, of Newark; Yves
Desir, 29, of Irvington; Aglaide Alzuphar, 23, of Newark; Kossi Klutse,
25, of Newark; Evon Morris, 23, of East Orange; Fontessa Foreman, 27,
of Newark; Olutoye Babatunde, 22, of Plainfield; Olukayode Adeosun, 30,
of Newark; Gologo Benshaw, 25, of Newark; Olushola Ayeni, 31, of
Brooklyn; Orwells Oyakhire, 24, of Maplewood.
Oladayo Araromi, 26, of Linden and Olujimi Williams, 24 of Hillside
were charged with conspiracy. Matthew Sabo, 29, of Sayreville and Vijay
Shah, 24, of Springfield, are charged with fencing, conspiracy, and
receiving stolen property.
Oladayo Araromi, a nurse at Hudson County jail making $79,298, has
been suspended without pay, Hudson County spokesman Jim Kennelly said
today.
Of the 32 arrested, 24 have appeared in Central Judicial Processing
court. Bail was set for those who appeared by Hudson County Superior
Court Judge Joseph Isabella prior to their court appearance.
More arrests are expected, said Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Gene Rubino.
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