California Man Sentenced to 11 Years for Identity Theft

Martin Quoc Pham, of Garden Grove, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for running two fraud schemes in which he used people’s personal identification to obtain home equity lines of credit and credit card accounts. For the home equity line of credit scheme, Pham would use personal ID information to take over home equity lines at JP Morgan. He then transferred the money into his own bank account. The credit card scheme involved taking the personal identification of others and signing them up for credit cards and then running up the credit card bills. Pham had three other co-conspirators who all plead guilty. Investigators estimate Pham made about $1.5 million conducting these fraudulent operations. Besides the 11 years he will have to spend in prison, Pham will also have to pay $537,973 in restitution.

Identity theft can lead to empty bank accounts, poor credit and severe debt. It is a federal offense since, often, victims are not from California or the fraudulent credit cards are used to buy things from outside of California. It is one of the most serious crimes in California and will always lead to prison time. Whether you live in Westminster, Orange or Laguna Hills, if you are charged with fraud, call an experienced criminal defense attorney right away to assist you.

If you want to know more about fraud, or your own charges, call Orange County criminal defense attorney William Weinberg @ 949.474.8008 in his Irvine office.