MIAMI, Fla. (CBS12) — A Miami man was sentenced for fraud on Friday after the FBI found 450 stolen accounts and fake IDs inside a padlocked room.
According to the Department of Justice, 33-year-old McKenzie Monestine pleaded guilty in December to possessing over 15 unauthorized access devices and aggravated identity theft, stemming from a 2020 FBI investigation.
He was sentenced to 55 months in prison with three years of supervised release on Friday.
The charges reportedly stemmed from a 2020 FBI investigation.
In June 2020, the FBI executed a search warrant at Monestine’s home, where they found evidence of large-scale fraud inside a padlocked room.
Agents say they located social security numbers, account passwords, driver license numbers, phone numbers, bank account numbers, credit and debit card numbers, and dates of birth belonging to other individuals.
Most of the fraud was allegedly…
This type of fraud targets the supply chain and accounts payable departments of businesses.
- Invoice Manipulation: Criminals intercept a legitimate invoice between a supplier and a client and change the banking details to their own. The client pays the bill thinking they are paying their trusted vendor.
- Kickbacks and Bribery: A vendor secretly pays an employee of the purchasing company to ensure their bid is successful or to overlook inflated pricing.