Florida Man Sentenced- Leading Stolen Credit Card Trafficking Ring- Losses Of $23 Million

[nitpicker]

https://www.justice.gov/usao-nj/pr/florida-man-sentenced-73-months-prison-leading-stolen-credit-card-trafficking-ring

Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of New Jersey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Florida Man Sentenced To 73 Months In Prison For Leading Stolen Credit Card Trafficking Ring Involving More Than 114,000 Accounts And Losses Of $23 Million

NEWARK, N.J. – A Florida man was sentenced today to 73 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to possess and traffic stolen credit card data held by New Jersey residents, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced. Miguel Gonzalez, 43, of Miami, Florida, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Salas imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
(snip)

Between January 2010 and July 2013, Gonzalez obtained and possessed stolen credit card data for more than 114,000 credit card accounts. Gonzalez purchased the stolen credit card information from various vendors who advertise and transmit the data over the Internet using email and instant chat software. These vendors sold stolen credit card data obtained from network intrusions into various corporate victims, including major retailers in the state of New Jersey. The stolen credit card data was used by Gonzalez and others to create counterfeit credit cards, which were used to enter into unauthorized and fraudulent transactions. The credit card issuers associated with the more than 114,000 stolen credit card accounts suffered a combined loss of more than $23 million.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Gonzalez to five years of supervised release, fined him $100,000 and ordered him to forfeit a number of items, including a house, boat, car and $30,000 in jewelry.
(snip)

[GeoWilliam750]

1. Let me see if I have this straight

He got $23 million and will serve 6 years. I think that most people would take that trade.

This is so far less than what a pot smoker will often get.

[SWBTATTReg]

2. sentencing guidelines

Yes, sentencing guidelines need to be looked at realistically, and revamped, if need be. Crimes of a neighborhood kid selling pot vs. what this guy did? Think of the grief and sheer impact this guy did (stolen cards, and families impacted) vs. pot selling kid.

Minor crimes like this (pot-selling kid is just an example I'm using here for illustrative purposes) are overblown by attorney generals eager to prove their mettle so they can claim that they are hard on crime, etc. to their voting public, so they can advance to governorships, and other legislative duties (senators, etc.).

Not that I'm saying what they are doing is legal (it isn't, in most places, selling dope, etc.), but punishing these relatively small time crimes are taxing our public resources (straining our already very limited jail space, limited department of corrections personnel, limited police resources, etc.), all in the name of pure self-interest on the part of overzealous prosecutors and attorney generals. In fairness, not all of these guys are like this (overly zealous in prosecuting minor crimes), but overall, this is not really serving the public interest, as it allows more significant crimes to be possibly overlooked.

Taking down a card-stealing guy is a lot more complicated then a neighborhood kid selling dope, as well as prosecuting the bulk of those engaged in the financial scams which in part lead to the market crash of 2007-08-09 (which I don't think a lot of these guys were charged or even looked at, in their roles in that mess).

I think a good suggestion would be that if you're a prosecuting attorney or attorney general, you should be barred from seeking other political offices, this would ensure no conflict of interest in doing their jobs properly.