Miami Man Sentenced To Four Years’ Imprisonment For Participation In Apple Pay Fraud Scheme

Jacksonville, Florida – U.S. District Judge Brian J. Davis has sentenced Max Johnny Wesley (23, Miami) to four years in federal prison for access device (credit card) fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. As part of his sentence, the court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $272,842.88, the proceeds of Wesley’s participation in the fraud scheme. 

Wesley had pleaded guilty on July 16, 2018.

According to court documents, Wesley and others fraudulently obtained access to at least 477 credit card accounts and linked those accounts to the Apple Pay application on their iPhones. Then, using their iPhones, Wesley and the others were able to make purchases with their victims’ credit card accounts, all without having to present actual credit cards to retailers. The group made more than $1.5 million in fraudulent purchases. Of that total, the court found Wesley responsible for $272,842.88 in losses associated with more than 700 fraudulent transactions.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Coolican.