Accused fraudsters stole identities of hundreds in ‘far-ranging’ $6M scheme, feds say
Three accused fraudsters in Georgia used hundreds of stolen identities to steal more than $6 million in government money in less than a year, federal prosecutors said.
Edwin Owie, Deborah McNeill and Osemwengie Imarhia took part in a “far-ranging fraud and identity theft ring” with others and illegally opened bank accounts with the identities, according to a Jan. 12 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
They used the bank accounts to steal and launder money meant for those whose identities officials said they were using — including funds from federal income tax refunds, unemployment benefits, Small Business Administration loans and economic impact payments, prosecutors said.
“In just a few months, these defendants used hundreds of stolen identities and laundered millions in fraud proceeds from government programs — several of which were designed to help those most severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in the news release.
Now, a judge has sentenced all three defendants to prison over the scheme, which lasted between January 2020 and October 2020 and spanned at least 21 states, the attorney’s office said.
The victims are owed more than $7 million in restitution collectively.
McClatchy News contacted defense attorneys representing Owie, McNeill and Osemwengie for comment Jan. 16 and didn’t receive immediate responses.
Owie, 63, of Dallas, Georgia, was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said.
McNeill, 55, of Loganville, was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to the same charges, according to the attorney’s office.
Imarhia, 43, of Acworth, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud, prosecutors said.
Each defendant was ordered to pay $2,390,357.03 in restitution, according to prosecutors.
In a sentencing memo submitted on McNeill’s behalf, her defense attorney Saraliene S. Durrett wrote that McNeill was recruited in the scheme and “did not understand the full scope and structure of the criminal activity.”
“She did not have decision-making authority; rather, she did as she was told,” Durrett said.
Durrett accused Owie and Imarhia of “instructing” McNeill in the fraud scheme and further accused Imarhia of committing aggravated identity theft in the sentencing memo.
“It is unclear why Mr. Imarhia was not required to plead to aggravated identity theft like (Owie and McNeill), when it is clear that he committed this crime,” Durrett wrote.
McNeill was the final defendant sentenced in the case on Jan. 10, court records show.
The defendants’ prison sentences will be followed by three years of supervised release, according to the attorney’s office.
“These convicted criminals caused great stress to their victims upending their lives when they stole their identities and utilized the stolen identities to fraudulently gain federal tax funds intended to aid taxpayers,” said Demetrius Hardeman, the acting special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Atlanta field office.
“Many people may be embarrassed or feel at fault when their identity has been taken. I want to let these victims know that it is not their fault and that they are not alone,” Hardeman added.
This story was originally published January 16, 2024 at 8:40 AM with the headline "Accused fraudsters stole identities of hundreds in ‘far-ranging’ $6M scheme, feds say."
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