SACRAMENTO — After an eight-day trial, a federal jury on June 18 returned a guilty verdict against Daniel Chartraw, 53, formerly of South Lake Tahoe and Lodi, finding him responsible for a wide-ranging series of fraudulent schemes involving cryptocurrency companies, sham business ventures and false investment guarantees that caused substantial financial losses to numerous victims across the country, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
“This verdict sends a clear message: individuals who exploit the trust of others and steal through deception will be held accountable,” Grant said. “The defendant lied to investors and caused serious financial and emotional harm. Our office will continue to pursue those who use emerging technologies, including cryptocurrency, as vehicles for fraud.”
Identity theft is the “foundational” fraud upon which many other crimes are built. It involves the unauthorized acquisition and use of a person’s personal identifying information (PII), such as an ID number, Social Security number, or passport details.
- How it works: Fraudsters obtain PII through data breaches, mail theft, or “social engineering” (tricking people into revealing details). Once they have this data, they can open new bank accounts, apply for credit cards or loans, and even receive medical treatment under your name.
- Synthetic Identity Fraud: A sophisticated variation where criminals combine real and fabricated information to create a completely new, “synthetic” person. This is particularly difficult to detect because there is no single victim to report the suspicious activity initially.