Credit card fraud case: $1.5 million. 38,000 people. On appeal.
Credit card fraud scheme said to be one of the biggest in US history. Convicted ringleader appeals credit card fraud case.
Credit cards are pictured in a wallet in Washington, D.C., in this 2010 file photo. A Canadian convicted in one of the biggest credit card fraud schemes in the US is appealing his case, saying he was only a mid-level player in the scheme that stole the identities of some 38,000 people.
Stelios Varias/Reuters/File
FARGO, N.D.
A Canadian man convicted in what witnesses called one of the largest credit card fraud schemes in US history is taking his case to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Adekunle Adetiloye pleaded guilty earlier to mail fraud and was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Authorities say he stole the identities of about 38,000 people and bilked companies out of about $1.5 million.
The 8th Circuit has appointed University of North Dakota law professor Steven Morrison to represent the defendant in the appeal.
Adetiloye claimed in an appeal to the district court that his sentence was unfair because he was labeled the leader of the conspiracy. He says he was a mid-level player in the operation.
U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson rejected the original appeal.