MIAMI, Fla. (CBS12) — A Miami man was sentenced for fraud on Friday after the FBI found 450 stolen accounts and fake IDs inside a padlocked room.
According to the Department of Justice, 33-year-old McKenzie Monestine pleaded guilty in December to possessing over 15 unauthorized access devices and aggravated identity theft, stemming from a 2020 FBI investigation.
He was sentenced to 55 months in prison with three years of supervised release on Friday.
The charges reportedly stemmed from a 2020 FBI investigation.
In June 2020, the FBI executed a search warrant at Monestine’s home, where they found evidence of large-scale fraud inside a padlocked room.
Agents say they located social security numbers, account passwords, driver license numbers, phone numbers, bank account numbers, credit and debit card numbers, and dates of birth belonging to other individuals.
Most of the fraud was allegedly carried out online on Monestine’s laptop and multiple cellphones.
On one of his devices, authorities say they uncovered 450 access devices and exchanged numerous text messages containing sensitive banking information, credit and debit card PINs, and other data used to access victims’ accounts.
Authorities estimate the losses to victims in the case to be between $250,000 and $550,000.
Physical evidence was also seized, including $11,000 in cash, credit cards in other people’s names, fake IDs, Western Union money orders, and a credit card re-encoder.