4 East Coast Men Sentenced to 120 Days for Identity Theft in San Carlos

Four defendants pleaded no contest Tuesday to identity theft and other offenses that occurred in San Carlos earlier this year, San Mateo County prosecutors said Wednesday.

Each received a sentence of 120 days in jail and five years probation that includes additional terms, according to prosecutors.

Sheriff’s deputies responded at 9:10 p.m. July 22 to the Best Buy in San Carlos at 1127 Industrial Road on a report of an identify theft taking place, prosecutors said.

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• Four East Coast Men Arrested in San Carlos for Credit Card Fraud

Deputies located the suspects inside a white Dodge Charger and a search of the vehicle revealed merchandise inside, according to prosecutors.

The allegedly stolen merchandise was worth about $125,000 and consisted of electronics such as iPads, iPhones, clothing and shoes, prosecutors said.

Deputies also found credits cards and gift cards they believed were stolen and a credit card skimming device used to steal personal information from credit cards, according to prosecutors.

Defendant Elijah Clarke, 20, of Middletown, N.Y., pleaded no contest to a felony for possession of a credit card and felony identity theft, and Malachi Mitchell, 26, of Fayetteville, Ga., Edwin Fernandez, 24, of Quincy, Mass. and Kanuteh Musa, 29, of Bronx, N.Y., each pleaded no contest to felony identity theft and felony commercial burglary, prosecutors said.

The other terms of their probation include abstaining from alcohol and drugs, submitting to drug testing, possessing no weapons or ammunition, and among others, no employment that gives them responsibility for money, according to prosecutors.

Mitchell was out of jail on $100,000 bail at the time of the hearing while the other three were in jail on $100,000 bail each, prosecutors said.

Clarke and Fernandez received credit for time served, according to prosecutors. Mitchell and Kanuteh have time left to serve, prosecutors said.

Clarkes’ private defender attorney Douglas Horngrad said he thought his client’s sentence was fair because “his involvement was minimal.”

Horngrad said Clarke accepted responsibility for his actions and will stay out of trouble.

Attorneys for Mitchell, Fernandez and Musa could not immediately be reached for comment.

• --Bay City News Service, photo via Shutterstock