Maplewood Man Guilty Of Identity Theft: Attorney General

MAPLEWOOD, NJ - A 26-year old Maplewood man plead guilty Tuesday to stealing the identity of a bank account holder, obtaining a debit card in the account holder’s name and making $69,000 in purchases and withdrawals, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said.

Corey N. Blanton plead guilty to third-degree charges of impersonation/theft of identity and theft by deception before Superior Court Judge Robert A. Kirsch in Union County, Grewal said.

“Identity theft and credit card fraud cause billions of dollars in losses each year to financial institutions and consumers,” said Grewal. “The best way to deter this conduct is to send fraudsters like Blanton to prison.”

Blanton was indicted in an investigation by the New Jersey State Police and the Division of Criminal Justice which began when an investigator for Bank of America contacted the State Police about thefts involving the fraudulently obtained debit card, Grewal said.

The investigation revealed that Blanton 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, Grewal said. Once Blanton received the debit card, he used it to make more than $69,000 in purchases and withdrawals in New Jersey and Georgia, Grewal said.

Investigators identified Blanton as the man using the debit card and had a warrant issued for his arrest. Blanton was arrested in April 2017 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia, Grewal said.

Deputy Attorneys General Joseph Remy and Thomas Huynh prosecuted Blanton, and DAG Huynh took the guilty plea today for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial and Computer Crimes Bureau.

“Our Financial and Computer Crimes Bureau aggressively investigates identity theft, financial fraud, and other types of white collar crime in collaboration with the New Jersey State Police, other law enforcement partners, and impacted financial institutions,” said Director of the Division of Criminal Justice Veronica Allende. “This case illustrates our determination to bring these criminals to justice.”

Remy and Huynh prosecuted the case for the Division of Criminal Justice Financial and Computer Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Julia S. Glass and Deputy Bureau Chief Jillian Carpenter.

“Victims of identity theft not only suffer from financial loss, but are also traumatized by the invasion of their privacy,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan of the New Jersey State Police. “We will continue to aggressively pursue and arrest alleged criminals like Blanton, deterring others like him and hopefully offering some solace to their victims.”

Detective Robert Arnesen was the lead detective for the New Jersey State Police. Attorney General Grewal thanked Bank of America and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their valuable assistance.

Under the plea agreement, the state will recommend that Blanton be sentenced to three years in state prison. He will be required to pay full restitution. Sentencing is scheduled for March 8.

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

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