Odis Edwards, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud in January.
In plea papers, Mr. Edwards admits he stole more than 1,200 credit and debit card numbers via the darknet and internet chat rooms. He and his co-conspirators used counterfeit cards to book more than $250,000 in rooms and incidentals at hotels around Dallas.
An agent testified in Court on Monday that Mr. Edwards sub-rented the rooms to drug dealers and pimps at a fraction of their true cost.
Hotel personnel became suspicious when multiple people racked up hefty room service bills, all charged to Mr. Edward’s account. Inside the rooms, law enforcement officers found altered credit cards as well as notebooks containing what appeared to be credit card numbers and URLs for digital credit card number generators.
“More and more, we’re seeing perpetrators attempt to cloak themselves in the seeming anonymity of the darknet. But they should know that we prioritize the investigation of illicit activity on the darknet and will vigorously prosecute this unlawful behavior,” said U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox. “In this case, I applaud the hard work of our Secret Service and police partners, as well as the hotel workers who reached out to law enforcement when they felt something was amiss.”
“The Dallas Field Office and the entire Secret Service is dedicated to the investigation of financial crime,” said William Noonan, Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service’s Dallas Field Office. “This investigation is a testament to the Secret Service’s commitment to working with our partners on accomplishing our dual mission.”
The U.S. Secret Service conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Colleyville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Raybould and Damien Diggs prosecuted the case.
-- Northern District of Texas