A former waitress at a popular Stamford restaurant who used skimming devices to steal credit card information from unsuspecting patrons pleaded guilty Aug. 30 to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud.
Natasha Smith, 25, of Georgia, formerly of Far Rockaway, NY, waived her right to indictment before United States Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in Bridgeport. She is scheduled for sentencing on November 18, 2011, at which time she faces a maximum prison term of five years.
United States Attorney's Office District of Connecticut
Press Release
David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that NATASHA SMITH, 25, of Georgia, formerly of Far Rockaway, New York, waived her right to indictment and pleaded guilty yesterday, August 30, before United States Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons in Bridgeport to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud.
According to court documents and statements made in court, from September 2008 to January 2009, SMITH worked as a waitress at a restaurant in Stamford, Connecticut. In pleading guilty, SMITH admitted that, while working at the restaurant, she and a co-worker, Chibuzo Okafor, stole credit card information from customers through the use of “skimming” devices. When restaurant customers would pay with their credit cards, SMITH and Okafor would swipe the cards through hand-held skimmers before running them through the restaurant’s own legitimate credit card verification system. The skimming devices would copy and store the account information encoded on the magnetic strips on the back of the credit cards.
Every few weeks, an individual who supplied the skimming devices would meet with SMITH or Okafor so they could turn over to him the credit card information stored on the devices. That person would pay them either $20 or $25 for each credit card they successfully swiped through the skimming device and then give them new skimmers so they could continue with the scheme. The stolen credit card information was later used by members of the conspiracy to make unauthorized purchases.
While SMITH and Okafor were employed at the Stamford restaurant, approximately 92 credit cards were compromised, the majority of which were compromised by Okafor, resulting in losses of approximately $135,888.
SMITH is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Janet B. Hall on November 18, 2011, at which time SMITH faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years.
On March 10, 2010, Okafor pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud. She awaits sentencing.
This investigation is being conducted by the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force, notably the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Secret Service. The Task Force also includes members from the United States Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security; the Connecticut State Police; and the Glastonbury, Greenwich, Hartford, New Haven and Shelton Police Departments.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Murphy.
CONTACT:
U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
Tom Carson
(203) 821-3722
thomas.carson@usdoj.gov
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