Theft ring arrest investigator warns: Take care of your personal information

June 17, 2010 – 8:14 am

New York City police arrested 26 people recently, most of whom are natives of Nigeria, who were reportedly involved in an identity theft ring that was able to steal at least $5 million using the personal information they obtained. The stolen identities included those of more than 200 soldiers, many of whom are currently deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Kazeem Badru, 38, Ganiu Rilwan, 46, and Okoronkwo Okechukwu, 32, were named by investigators as the “ring leaders.”

Investigators said the ring was centered on Staten Island. The two-year investigation, dubbed “Operation Hydra,” went beyond Staten Island. The group had connections in Brooklyn, Westchester and Manhattan in New York; Philadelphia, Pa., Brennan and Fort Hood, Texas; Atlanta, Ga.; Greensboro, N.C.; and Lagos, Nigeria.

Investigators were tipped off something was going on in March 2008 when a woman in Montana called saying that someone in New York was withdrawing money illegally from her checking account. Officers found that someone was writing checks on the woman’s home equity line of credit. Staten Island banks also reported losses to New York police.

After two years of investigating the case, law enforcement personnel said someone on the inside must have helped to steal the personal information of the soldiers, since the solders were out of the country. Prosecutors later said 29-year-old Kevin Marshall, who was stationed at Fort Hood, helped get inside information for the group.

“It takes a certain type of detached cruelty to victimize people in this way. The detectives and prosecutors who worked on this case can take great pride in putting these despicable con artists out of business,” said New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Kelly warned that people must be careful with their mailboxes, and lock them.

“It is an offense to steal somebody’s mail. It is a federal offense, but that didn’t stop these individuals,” he said. He added that it’s important to obtain and review your credit report, and if you find things there that shouldn’t be, report it to the proper authorities.

The suspects involved in this case face charges of enterprise corruption, grand larceny and fraud. If convicted, they could each face up to 25 years in jail. The investigation is ongoing, and investigators say there could be more arrests.

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