PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Providence resident was sentenced today to five years in federal prison for using the stolen personal identifying information (PII) of unsuspecting individuals to defraud banks and retailers, and for fraudulently seeking more than $3.3 million dollars in small business loans earmarked for businesses impacted by the pandemic, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Courtney Hilaire, 29, pled guilty on December 20, 2021, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, fourteen counts of wire fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 60 months in federal prison to be followed by three years of federal supervised release.
Hilaire’s involvement in bank fraud and credit card fraud schemes was discovered by Warwick Police on July 3, 2020, when officers found Hillaire and two other men sleeping inside a stolen vehicle in the parking lot of a Warwick hotel. Inside the vehicle, officers discovered eighteen cell phones and other electronic devices; a list of identities and corresponding stolen PII; equipment used to transfer information to credit card magnetic strips; 44 counterfeit credit cards and numerous fraudulent drivers’ licenses from multiple states; and approximately $13,000 in crisp, clean $100 and $50 dollar bills.
A forensic audit of the electronic devices by Homeland Security Investigations revealed links to folders containing templates to create credit cards,…
