On August 16, 2019, Jason Mickel Elcock, who pleaded guilty in March 2019 to wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies and unlawful possession of a firearm, was sentenced to 57 months in prison, restitution, and forfeiture of $1,111,893 and his interest in two bank accounts and merchandise found at his residence. The facts of the case as presented in the complaint, indictment and superseding information, described a ten-year scheme by Elcock and co-conspirators to defraud banks and e-commerce retailers by using stolen bank account information and credit and debit card data, as well as the personally identifying information (PII) of consumers, to defraud banks and e-commerce retailers. According to the complaint, the co-conspirators hacked into consumers’ email accounts to steal the information, using the PII to open new lines of credit, purchase goods and services with the stolen credit card information, transfer money electronically out of the victims’ bank accounts, and cash fraudulent checks issued against the victims’ bank accounts. The complaint and indictment further allege that Elcock altered the victims’ email addresses, passwords and telephone numbers to prevent their receipt of notifications alerting them to the unauthorized transactions, and that the illegal activity resulted in over $1.1 million of losses to banks and retailers, as well as the financial and psychological burden and stress to the affected consumers.
Elcock’s co-defendant, Shoshana Marie McGill, pleaded guilty in January 2019 to conspiracy to commit money laundering, and was sentenced in June 2019 to five years’ probation, six months’ home confinement, forfeiture of $1,081,893, various merchandise, and her interest in three bank accounts.