White Plains Entrepreneur Sentenced to 76 Months in Prison for Identity Theft and for Conspiring to Make False Statements to Financial Institutions

January 30, 2010 - PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that TERRENCE CHALK was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge STEPHEN C. ROBINSON to 76 months in prison for his participation in a conspiracy to make false statements and representations to financial institutions in connection with applications for loans, lines of credit, and credit cards, and for the crime of aggravated identity theft for using another person's Social Security number to seek a line of credit from a bank. As part of the sentence, Judge ROBINSON ordered that CHALK pay restitution of $750,000.

According to the charging instruments in this case and statements made during the sentencing proceeding and other proceedings in this case:

CHALK, 47, the principal of a White Plains-based computer systems company, and others submitted applications for loans, lines of credit and credit cards, in the names of various business entities controlled by CHALK (the "CHALK Entities") that contained false information and representations. Some of the applications falsely represented that certain Chalk employees and clients were guarantors for the loans and/or were owners and officers of the various CHALK Entities when in fact they were not.

Included in the applications was personal identification information, such as names, addresses and Social Security numbers of the CHALK Entities' employees, agents, or clients, without their knowledge or permission. While seeking to obtain the loans, lines of credit, and/or credit cards, CHALK and others met with representatives of financial institutions and falsely represented the ownership of the Chalk entities and the identity of the guarantors and/or supplied false financial information. Among other things, CHALK sought a loan using the name and personal information of a dead relative. CHALK continued his criminal conduct even after his initial arrest in this case, when from prison, he directed others on the outside to submit false information to BMW of Ridgefield, Connecticut, in order to secure BMW vehicles for, among others, CHALK's girlfriend and someone who signed a bond to help secure CHALK’s release on bail. CHALK’s release on bail ended in July 2008 with his arrest in connection with the car leasing scheme.

Mr. BHARARA praised the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and added that the investigation is continuing.

Assistant United States Attorneys EUGENE INGOGLIA and KATHRYN MARTIN are in charge of the prosecution.