Macon man sentenced to prison for wire fraud, identity theft

During a traffic stop, deputies found the defendant had eight debit cards and three driver’s licenses belonging to other people.

FORSYTH, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Macon man will see prison time after pleading guilty to committing wire fraud in an identity theft scheme. A judge sentenced 33-year-old Aaron Jamal Denzel Austin to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

In January of 2020, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office stopped Austin for reckless driving and failing to maintain lane. During the traffic stop, deputies found Austin had eight debit cards and three driver’s licenses belonging to other people. An investigation later revealed that Austin worked at an Atlanta club. And he had used two stolen identities to register two separate fake businesses with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. This allowed him to obtain two Capital One business credit cards with credit limits of $30,000 and $20,000.

Investigators discovered Austin used three other identities in a similar scheme to obtain business credit cards, but he was denied by the credit card company.

Investigators also found text conversations between Austin and others discussing criminal fraud. The messages included social security numbers, exchanging a victim’s banking user name and password, and how to call banks to learn account balances and other victim information.

Authorities also learned Austin recruited others to use their bank accounts to conduct fraudulent transactions. For example, Austin deposited a stolen $49,000 check from a New York couple into a coconspirator’s account. In all, authorities identified 23 actual or intended victims.

“Identity theft and fraud is rampant. In this case, the defendant was using stolen personal information to execute a variety of schemes, from registering fake businesses so he could obtain large credit lines to depositing a stolen $49,000 check,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Local and federal investigators have prevented continued fraud and distress for these victims and have helped us hold the defendant accountable for his criminal schemes.”

Austin is being held accountable for a loss of $100,000.

The case was investigated by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Secret Service.