Five of the seven Frederick County residents pleaded guilty to computer fraud and identity theft gangs and were sentenced to one day in prison and one year suspended.
Two other Frederick men involved in the operation were each given longer sentences of more than three years in prison.
A federal lawsuit focused on the illegal collection and sale of information about debtors was filed in Albany, New York.
Officials said Ring members illegally obtained information about debtors from the New York State Department of Labor and labor agencies in other states.
They pretended to be debtors and created thousands of online unemployment insurance applications containing personal information such as the debtor’s name and social security number.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Upstate District of New York, a company called Paymerica Corp. investigated debtors, illegally obtained information from government agencies, and used “place of employment” information to collect debts at about $90 per debtor. sold to someone. .
Officials say Paymerica made about $1 million selling this information over a period of about three years.
Paymerica sold the employment information of at least 12,000 people in 40 states, officials said. According to the Federal Attorney’s Office, Ring members he tried to obtain information on up to 200,000 people in all 50 states.
After a five-day trial, Frederick’s Guy Cuomo, also known as “John Monaco,” was sentenced to 45 months in prison in August. He was found guilty of computer fraud, social security number abuse, aggravated identity theft, and related conspiracy charges, according to the Federal Attorney’s Office.
After being released from prison, he will be on probation for three years.
Authorities say Cuomo worked for and ran companies such as Paymerica, which is owned by Jason “JR” Trowbridge.
Trowbridge, also known as “Ted Frost,” pleaded guilty to conspiracy, social security number abuse, and aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced to 39 months in prison in his March, followed by two years of probation. He was fined his $30,000 and ordered to confiscate his $446,996.46 in bank accounts related to the scheme, the federal attorney’s office said.
Cuomo was sentenced to two years on the aggravated identity theft charge and up to 20 years on the remaining charges, according to the federal attorney’s office.
Five other co-defendants were sentenced after Cuomo in August and September. All will receive his one-day prison sentence and then be released under supervision for a year.
• Frederick’s Robin Chapin, also known as “Thomas Price”, was charged with conspiring to aggravate computer fraud, secure computer access and information retrieval, and identity theft.
• Woodsboro’s Rebecca Fogle, also known as ‘Roxanne Morris’ and ‘Jessica Felton’, has been charged with conspiring to commit computer fraud, gaining access to protected computers to obtain information and aggravating identity theft .
• Frederick’s Shamere Brison, also known as ‘Felicia Carter’, exacerbated identity theft
• Frederick’s Sarah Bromfield, aka ‘Nicole Wagner’, exacerbated identity theft
• Frederick’s Anna Hardy, also known as ‘Sarah Thomas’, exacerbated identity theft
The federal attorney’s office said the maximum sentence for aggravated identity theft is two years in prison. Chapin also faced up to 10 years in prison for the remaining charges.
Asked Monday about the difference between the maximum sentence and the sentences five co-defendants received, spokesman Michael Barnett said the office did not comment on specific sentences.
Brisson’s attorney, Daniel Neroni, also declined to comment on Monday.
However, the sentencing memo filed by defense attorneys cites their clients’ particular health and family struggles, and their clients are more likely to commit fraud than the two lead defendants. said there was little involvement.
