Social Media Influencer Stole ID, Charged $19K, Hawaii Trip: DA

RIVERHEAD, NY — A social media influencer who allegedly stole the identity of a Suffolk County resident and charged $19K in fraudulent purchases with the individual's personal information was indicted Friday, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini.

Christian T. Aaron, 19, of Hollywood, California, is charged with two counts of first degree identity theft, a felony; third degree grand larceny, a felony; first degree attempted identity theft, a felony; three counts of second degree identity theft, a felony; and third degree unlawful possession of personal identification information, a misdemeanor, Sini said.

He also attempted to charge an additional $31K to credit cards in the individual's name, Sini said.

“As with all of the financial crimes our office investigates and prosecutes, this was an act of greed, but this defendant wasn’t just after money; he committed these crimes in part to keep up the online persona he has crafted for himself and to get likes on social media,” Sini said. “His alleged actions have real-world consequences though, including an extremely negative impact on the victim’s credit."

The case, Sini said, should serve as a lesson to anyone who believes he or she can operate in anonymity by committing identity theft or other financial crimes either on the internet or over the phone: "You will get caught and be held responsible," he said.

Aaron has a YouTube channel with more than 42,000 subscribers and has approximately 185,000 followers on his Instagram account, Sini said. In February 2019, Aaron was a guest on an episode of “Dr. Phil” about social media influencers entitled “Insta-Famous to Insta-Lonely," Sini said.

In December 2017, Aaron, acting in concert with a co-defendant, allegedly used American Express credit cards belonging to the Suffolk County resident in order to purchase plane tickets from New York to Hawaii and hotel reservations and services at the Aulani Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii, Sini said. Aaron also used credit cards in the victim’s name while in Hawaii to purchase handbags and clothing at multiple designer stores, including Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, and Agent Provocateur, Sini said.

In total, Aaron made $19,000 in fraudulent purchases using credit in the person's name with her personal identification information, Sini said.

During the same time period, Aaron called American Express on several occasions, identified himself as the person whose identity he'd stolen and provided the person's personal identification information in order to use the credit card and to open additional credit cards in the individual's name, Sini said.

Aaron also attempted to make several purchases of designer handbags and clothing from The RealReal, an online luxury consignment store, using the credit cards for $31,000, but the orders were canceled by the retailer before the items were shipped, Sini said.

Aaron was arraigned on the indictment Friday by Suffolk County Supreme Court Justice Richard Ambro in Riverhead. Bail was set at $15,000 cash or $30,000 bond; he is due back in court on June 25, Sini said.

If convicted of the top count, Aaron faces a maximum sentence of two and one-third to seven years in prison, Sini said.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jessica Lightstone of the Financial Investigations and Money Laundering Bureau.