May 17, 2001
Trenton,
NJ — Four Trenton residents were indicted yesterday on charges of identity
theft, Mercer County Prosecutor Daniel G. Giaquinto announced today.
Those
indicted yesterday afternoon were Tina Moore (DOB 9/14/72), of the 800 block of
Roebling Avenue, Trenton, and Ramon Reimer (DOB 9/10/79), Sharon Pulero (DOB
12/13/70) and Lisa Pulero (DOB 2/25/73), all of the first block of Walnut
Avenue, Trenton. All four were
indicted on a single count of theft of identity, a third-degree offense that
carries a maximum penalty of five years incarceration.
The
investigation began in November 2000 when federals agents received information
that Tina Moore, who was employed by RCN through an unknown temp agency and
working in the RCN Corporate Headquarters located in Carnegie Center (Princeton,
NJ), was obtaining personal identifiers of RCN customers and selling them.
These personal identifiers included subscriber account information forms
and billing invoices that contained credit card numbers and expiration dates,
dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses and phone numbers.
Individuals
like Sharon and Lisa Pulero are purchasing the identifiers and using them to pay
bills and make personal purchases. Lisa
Pulero was using the information of another to pay her tuition at Mercer County
Community College.
Based
on this information, a meeting was arranged which Moore and Ramon Reimer
attended. The meeting took place on
November 28 at Pat’s Diner on South Broad Street, Trenton.
Moore and Reimer conspired to sell 500 personal identifiers.
They were given a $300 down payment in exchange for 130 forms so that the
legitimacy of the identifiers could be determined.
Upon verification, the remaining 370 forms were to be handed over for the
balance of the money. The total
sale was to be approximately $10,000 ($20 per form).
The
four defendants were charged by the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office on
January 26, 2001. Moore and the
Puleros are currently out on bail. Reimer
is in the Mercer County Corrections Center pending sentencing on unrelated theft
charges.
Several
agencies participated in the investigation, including the Office of the
Inspector General/Social Security Administration; the United States Postal
Inspection Service, North Jersey/Caribbean Division; United States Secret
Service; the Princeton Township Police Department; and the Trenton Police
Department.
While
this particular event involved 500 forms that were recovered, additional
personal identifiers of other unknown RCN customers were sold.
Unfortunately, these instances won’t be discovered until the
individuals discover unauthorized purchases or payments on their accounts.
“In
this instant information age, no one is safe from becoming a victim of this type
of crime, and that fact is alarming,” Prosecutor Giaquinto said.
“The public must realize the danger and take appropriate steps to avoid
it.”
Postal
Inspector Tony Esposito stated that identity theft has become the
fastest-growing form of white-collar crime facing consumers today.
“The most important step a person can take to prevent these situations
is to request a free copy of their credit report,” he continued.
According
to its web site, RCN Corporation is the nation’s first and largest
facilities-based competitive provider of bundled phone, cable television and
high-speed Internet services to the most densely populated markets in the U.S.
RCN has more than one million customer connections and provides service
in the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington DC
metropolitan markets.
Despite
having been indicted, every defendant is presumed innocent until found guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.