In short
- The women used stolen data from Middle Eastern banks to buy thousands of dollars in gift cards at Giant Food Stores in Pennsylvania.
- They pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 6 months to 18 months.
What happened
Three women from Oakland, California—Chartanae Ajanee Lovely, Davida Algie Fortenberry, and Laje Elise Ford—were sentenced by Judge Keli M. Neary for their roles in a multi-year fraud scheme. They used stolen bank account information from Middle Eastern banks to purchase gift cards at Giant Food Stores across Central Pennsylvania and Philadelphia.
The women were apprehended in 2021 after flying from Oakland to Pittsburgh, renting a car, and visiting five Giant Food Stores. Investigators found they had conducted similar activities at retailers nationwide, using stolen data from Emirates NBD Bank, Gulf International Bank, and Saudi National Bank.
Investigators uncovered that Fortenberry, Lovely, and Ford had flown in that day from Oakland, California, to Pittsburgh where they rented a car and drove to five different Giant Food Stores across Central Pennsylvania.
In numbers
- 6 months Ford's prison sentence
- 18 months Lovely's prison sentence
What compliance teams should check
- Review transactions involving gift card purchases at Giant Food Stores for links to stolen bank account information from Emirates NBD Bank, Gulf International Bank, and Saudi National Bank.
- Screen for patterns of cross-country travel and rapid, high-value purchases by individuals with similar profiles to Fortenberry, Lovely, and Ford.
- Update internal fraud typologies to include multi-year, multi-state schemes involving stolen foreign bank data and gift card purchases.
Why it matters
This case highlights the risks posed by organized groups exploiting stolen foreign bank account information to commit wire fraud across state lines. Compliance officers must be vigilant for patterns involving rapid travel, high-value gift card purchases, and the use of data from international banks. The involvement of multiple law enforcement agencies and the prosecution under conspiracy to commit wire fraud underscore the importance of robust transaction monitoring and information sharing to detect and prevent similar schemes.
Catch stories like these on your own customers.
complead screens your customers against adverse media, sanctions and PEP lists, and re-checks them every day. When a name you hold turns up in the news, it lands in your case queue with the evidence attached.