Georgia Man Sentenced for Stealing from the Accounts of the Elderly

St. Louis – Omar Fandino, 25, of Suwanee, GA, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for cloning access devices of elderly victims to obtain cash and merchandise.  He appeared in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Ronnie L. White who ordered Fandino to pay $29,551.42 in restitution.

According to court documents, Fandino traveled to the St. Louis area and rented a vehicle between September 23rd and October 3, 2016.  He traveled throughout the area using access devices embedded with the account numbers of individuals to purchase merchandise, money orders, and gift cards and to initiate automated teller machine withdrawals.  The account holders were between the ages of 59 and 86, and the final victim was a disabled person sharing an account with her 72-year-old mother.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office as part of the Department of Justice Elder Justice Initiative.

The Department of Justice Elder Justice Initiative is dedicated to investigating and prosecuting financial crimes targeting older adults.  The Eastern District of Missouri Identity Theft Task Force is a group of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies working together to combat identity theft and its related crimes across the St. Louis Community.