Suburban Man Sentenced to More Than 8 Years in Prison for Using Stolen Credit Cards

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to eight and a half years in federal prison for using thousands of stolen credit cards to purchase luxury goods and services.

CAMERON YORK bought credit card account numbers, Social Security numbers, and other personal identifying information from online sellers, sometimes paying in Bitcoin.  He then used the stolen information to make thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges for various items, including a Jaguar XJL and shoes from luxury brands Maison Margiela, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton.  York also opened accounts at ComEd and Nicor Gas in the names of identity theft victims, racking up unpaid utility balances.

York, 28, of Stone Park, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.  U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman imposed the 102-month sentence after a hearing Sept. 4, 2019, in federal court in Chicago.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Kathy A. Enstrom, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division; Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the FBI; and Eddie Johnson, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department.  The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives provided valuable assistance.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Petersen.

York’s fraud scheme began in 2015 and continued until 2018.  Evidence in the case revealed that York wired or caused to be wired approximately $164,598 to the online sellers to purchase the stolen information.  In exchange, York received at least 8,796 unique credit card account numbers, of which he attempted to use at least 4,800 to make purchases.  York often bought expensive items at high-end retail stores and then boasted about his purchases on social media.  In some of the postings, York is shown wearing the items or commenting on his luxury lifestyle.