On September 15, 2015, JAMES JOHNSTON, age 49, of Olive Branch, Mississippi, and TAMICA WALKER, age 36, of Yulee, Florida, appeared in Federal Court in Oxford, Mississippi to answer Federal criminal charges, pursuant to an indictment and summons issued by a Grand Jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.

According to the indictment, JOHNSTON and WALKER conspired together to commit fraud to obtain confidential phone records information (pretexting), to obtain identification documents and information (trafficking means of identification), and to commit fraud in connection with computers (trafficking in passwords).

JOHNSTON AND WALKER made their initial appearances before United States Magistrate Judge S. Allan Alexander on September 15, 2015, and each was released on a $5,000.00 bond.

This case was investigated by members of the Jackson FBI’s Cyber Task Force and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi.

Donald Alway, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Mississippi, said, “The FBI’s Cyber Task Force program enhances collaboration and integrates operations among the partner agencies against cyber terrorists, who aim to exploit vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure control systems, and against financially-motivated criminals, who steal money, identities, and intellectual trade secrets. By joining together, these federal, state, and local agencies serve as an effective deterrent to cyber criminals.”

The Jackson FBI Cyber Task Force is made up of FBI Special Agents and Task Force Officers from the Office of Mississippi’s Attorney General. There are Cyber Task Forces (CTFs) in all of the FBI’s 56 field offices which focus exclusively on cyber­security threats. Within each field office territory, the CTF synchronizes domestic cyber threat investigations in the local community through information sharing, incident response, and joint enforcement and intelligence actions. To its partner agencies, the Cyber Task Force Program provides real-time, classified reporting, training opportunities, and access to a broad scope of resources, including vehicles, communication tools, and computer equipment.

The public is reminded that, as in any criminal case, a person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The charges filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.