Man Sentenced For Identity Theft, Stole Over $1.3M

ATLANTA, GA — A Lawrenceville man was sentenced on Friday for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to a release from the Department of Justice's Northern District of Georgia. Justin Walker, 29, will spend seven years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak, charges and info presented in court said that between July 2015 and March 2016, Walker impersonated account holders at various financial institutions by calling customer service and using account holders' private information.

He used the information to create or take over accounts, Pak said and transferred funds to accounts held by his co-conspirators totaling over $1.3 million.

“Walker was crafty and knew no limits on how far he would go to commit fraud, even while on probation,” said Pak. “We encourage citizens to regularly monitor their bank statements to ensure their accounts have not been compromised.”

After Walker's seven-year prison sentence, he will be on probation for two years and is ordered to pay $514,979.56 in restitution.

Walker had been arrested four separate times since 2007 on charges of fraud and identity theft and violated probation, the release said.

“The FBI treats these types of financial crimes targeting individuals and the banking industry very seriously,” said J. C. “Chris” Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Division. “Anyone considering this type of criminal activity should take heed of the punishment imposed in this case.”

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