Central Falls Man Sentenced in Stolen Identity, Fraud Scheme
Reynaldo Martinez opened, used retail credit accounts worth tens of thousands of dollars using stolen identities
PROVIDENCE – A Central Falls man who participated in a scheme to use the stolen identity of numerous individuals to open retail store credit cards and lines of credits, which he used to purchase tens of thousands of dollars worth of goods in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison.
Reynaldo Martinez, 25, pleaded guilty in November 2017 as charged in a superseding indictment returned on August 15, 2017, charging him with four counts of aggravated identity theft, two counts of access fraud, and one count each of bank fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, attempted access fraud, and interstate transportation of stolen goods.
At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., also ordered Martinez to serve 3 years supervised release upon completion of his term of incarceration and to pay restitution totaling $38,126.62 to businesses he defrauded.
The government and the defense recommended to the court a sentence of 48 months incarceration as stipulated in a plea agreement filed with the Court. The U.S. Sentencing Guideline imprisonment range in this matter is 57-71 months.
Martinez’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch and Brian Deck, Resident Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service.
At the time of his guilty plea, admitted to the Court that beginning as early as March 15, 2017, he used various sources, including internet websites, to obtain personal identification information of individuals, including their Social Security Numbers, dates of birth and addresses, after which he would have false, counterfeit government identifications, manufactured bearing his photograph. Martinez admitted that he used the counterfeit identifications to secure credit to make purchases at various businesses including Sprint Cell Phone locations, Kohl’s Department Store, Sak’ s Fifth Avenue, Best Buy, Cardi’ s Furniture, Raymour and Flanigan Furniture, and Home Depot. Martinez admitted that he used the stolen credit to make between $40,000 and $90,000 dollars in purchases, for which he had no intention of paying.
Martinez has been detained in federal custody since his arrest on May 24, 2017.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Ferland.
United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch acknowledges and thanks the Middletown, Warwick, Richmond and Central Falls, R.I., Police Departments; Rhode Island State Police; Mansfield and Seekonk, Mass, Police Departments; West Hartford and Hamden, Conn., Police Departments; and the Richardson, Texas, Police Department for their assistance in gathering and providing information to the United States Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island and the United States Secret Service New England Electronic Crimes Task Force during the course of the investigation.