Maplewood Man Allegedly Racked Up $69K With Stolen Debit Card

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — A Maplewood man allegedly stole the identity of a bank account holder and fraudulently obtained a debit card in the victim’s name, making more than $69,000 in purchases and withdrawals before authorities managed to track down the “money trail,” prosecutors said.

On Wednesday, the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice Financial and Computer Crimes Bureau obtained a state grand jury indictment charging Corey N. Blanton, 25, of Maplewood, with third-degree counts of impersonation/theft of identity, theft by deception and fraudulent use of a credit card.

According to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Blanton was charged in an investigation by state police and the Division of Criminal Justice, which began when an investigator for Bank of America contacted authorities about thefts involving a fraudulently obtained debit card.

An investigation revealed that Blanton allegedly obtained personal information about the account holder that enabled him to order a new debit card and have it mailed to an address in Georgia, prosecutors said. Once Blanton received the debit card, he allegedly used it to make more than $69,000 in purchases and withdrawals in New Jersey and Georgia, prosecutors said.

Investigators subsequently identified Blanton as the man who allegedly used the fraudulently obtained debit card and issued a warrant for his arrest.

Blanton was arrested in April 2017 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia, prosecutors said.

“In less than one month, Blanton allegedly racked up over $69,000 in fraudulent purchases and withdrawals,” Division of Criminal Justice Director Elie Honig said. “Fortunately, the state police and our attorneys were able to follow the money trail to Blanton and secure this indictment.”

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