A Florida man is facing very serious federal charges after being caught up in one of the largest Internet identity theft incidences in United States history.
Twenty eight year old Albert Gonzalez is a high school graduate who is self taught in the world of hacking and cyber crimes. This isn’t his first run in with the feds, however. In 2003 Gonzalez was arrested in a large online credit card hacking ring. He didn’t face charges then, however, in exchange for his work as an informant for the secret service.
The charges he faces now arise out of thefts that reportedly occurred between October 2006 and May 2008. It was during this time that Gonzalez allegedly played a big role in many big dollar fraud cases, one of which cost the TJ Maxx retail chain around $200 million. This article from the Wall Street Journal rightfully calls Gonzalez “one of the nation’s cybercrime kingpins”.
According to this piece from the Miami Herald, Gonzalez has been in jail since huge raids uncovered much of his money, drugs, firearms, and additional evidence against him. It seems that through all of the situations Gonzalez has reportedly had his hands in, he will be facing both federal charges as well as state charges across the country.
Fraud is a serious matter and Internet crimes are common now more than ever. You can go online a purchase fraudulent credit card numbers if you know the right resources. I wouldn’t suggest it however; it’s highly illegal.
The point is: our personal information is more easily accessible to criminals due to the advent of technology and the loopholes within those technological masterpieces.
Facing charges of fraud is a serious matter as well. Whether you are accused of writing bad checks or using the identity of someone else for financial gain, you could be looking at spending some portion of your future behind bars.
If you are facing fraud charges in Florida, you need an experienced attorney on your side advocating for your rights. Call me today to discuss the details of your case.