Two people were charged Wednesday with using stolen identities to sign phone service contracts qualifying them to buy iPhones at a deep discount, acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Ashley K. Lavallee, 29, Candia, N.H., and Jay Leon, 22, Englewood, N.J., were charged in separate indictments with one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. One indictment alleges Lavallee used a stolen identity to sign up for phone service at an AT&T store in Overland Park, Kan. The other indictment alleges Leon used a stolen identity to sign up for phone service at a Best Buy in Overland Park.
If convicted, each of them faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the wire fraud count, and two years consecutive to other counts and a fine up to $250,000 on the aggravated identity theft charge. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting.
Other grand jury indictments:
– Gabriel Soto-Zamudio, 27, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 24, 2016, in Kansas City, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Ward is prosecuting.
– Donta R. Tanner, Jr., 23, Lawrence, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The crime is alleged to have occurred April 24, 2016, in Wyandotte County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Lawrence Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.
– Julio Cesar Perez-Madrigal, 23, Kansas City, Kan., is charged with three counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a person who is not U.S. citizen, and two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of controlled substances. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2015 and 2016 in Wyandotte County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Count one, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine: not less than five years and not more than 20 years, and a fine up to $5 million.
Count two, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking: Not less than five years and a fine up to $250,000.
Counts three and seven, alien in possession of a firearm: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Counts four and eight, unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of controlled substances: a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Counts five and six, possession and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine: Not less than 10 years and a fine up to $10 million.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.