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Press Release

New York Man Admits Credit and Gift Card Fraud Scheme

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey

NEWARK, N.J. – A New York man today admitted he defrauded credit card companies of hundreds of thousands of dollars, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.

James Olla, 28, of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez to one count of a superseding indictment charging him with conspiracy to sell, receive or possess stolen goods.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From January 2014 through June 2015, Olla and others procured stolen information related to credit cards belonging to various individuals, including victims living in New Jersey. Using this stolen information, Olla and his conspirators obtained gift cards from various retailers and then sold the cards in Brooklyn and elsewhere, often for large sums of cash.

The count of conspiracy to sell, receive or possess stolen goods carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for March 18, 2021.

U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero; and the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Mark McKevitt, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Cybercrime Unit Chief David W. Feder and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua L. Haber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.

Updated November 5, 2020

Attachment
Topic
Financial Fraud
Press Release Number: 20-399