Attorney General Kwame Raoul charged a suburban Cook County man for allegedly using stolen personal identification information to acquire more than $620,000 in vehicles from dealers in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan and later selling them on Facebook Marketplace.
Raoul’s office charged Stephen Walker, 34, of South Holland, Illinois in Will County Circuit Court with 18 counts of the possession of a stolen motor vehicle, Class 1 felonies each punishable by up to 15 years in prison; 10 counts of money laundering, Class 2 felonies each punishable by up to seven years in prison; 10 counts of the unlawful possession of a certificate of title, Class 2 felonies each punishable by up to seven years in prison; and one count of theft by deception, a Class 1 felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Sentences are ultimately determined by the court.
Walker pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his next court date is scheduled for Nov. 14.
The Attorney General is prosecuting the case based on a referral from the Office of the Secretary of State.
"My office has fostered partnerships with law enforcement and government agencies across jurisdictions in order to more effectively protect Illinois residents where they live and work, and when they are online,” Raoul said. “The collaboration between my office and Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias’s office is a step toward justice for the people whose personal information was allegedly stolen and used to purchase vehicles, as well as the individuals whose only mistake was to try to purchase a vehicle online. I look forward to continuing these types of partnerships to protect our residents from fraud.”
Attorney General Raoul’s indictment alleges Walker used stolen personal identification information to fraudulently acquire 11 cars from several dealers in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. Walker’s scheme would allegedly involve applying for financing through dealerships, then having the vehicles delivered to him at hospitals in Cook and Will counties where he stated he worked as a surgical nurse. According to Raoul’s office, Walker would meet the delivery driver in a hospital parking lot, sign the purchasing paperwork and leave with the newly purchased vehicle.
The Attorney General’s office goes on to allege that within days of acquiring the vehicles, Walker would use Facebook Marketplace to resell them, using a fraudulent Arkansas title listing different names and vehicles bearing the same control number.
“With online criminal activity quickly evolving, we must do all that we can to protect the personal information of Illinoisans from fraud, theft and abuse,” said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. “I appreciate Attorney General Raoul’s efforts to quickly investigate and prosecute these cases, which will deter others who may consider participating in similar schemes.”
The public is reminded that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Raoul reminds Illinois consumers to report potential scams to the online marketplace and law enforcement. Consumers can also file a complaint on the Attorney General’s website.
Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau is authorized by Illinois statute to prosecute multi-county cases involving drugs, money laundering, guns or electronics. Working regularly with state and federal counterparts, the bureau focuses on complex, often large-scale, organized criminal activity.
Assistant Attorney General Neal Thompson is prosecuting the case for Raoul’s Statewide Grand Jury Bureau.
Original source can be found here.