TA’ROY CLARENCE YOUNG SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT

Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula, on October 3, 2008, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, TA'ROY CLARENCE YOUNG, appeared for sentencing. YOUNG was sentenced to a term of:

• Prison: 57 months

• Special Assessment: $400

• Restitution: $146,903.54

• Supervised Release: 5 years

YOUNG was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to conspiracy, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

YOUNG, Tony Barnes, Tamara Minor, and several other individuals were involved in a crime ring which included fraudulently obtaining the personal and identifying information from customers at large national banks and obtaining money based on identity theft throughout the United States. YOUNG, Minor, and the other individuals also used false identities to obtain in-store credit at major retailers and purchased thousands of dollars in high-end goods under assumed names. All told, YOUNG, Minor, and the other individuals were responsible for hundreds of thousands in loss.

On January 9, 2008, YOUNG, Minor and the other individuals traveled into Montana with numerous stolen identities in their possession. These included names and account numbers of Wells Fargo bank customers along with counterfeit driver's licenses and credit cards in the customers' names. Many of these materials were recovered by law enforcement officers when the group was arrested, along with a substantial amount of cash.

Traveling north out of Idaho, YOUNG, Minor, and the other individuals first hit Dillon on January 9. While there Barnes entered a Wells Fargo branch and withdrew $4,500 from D.B.'s account. The next day, Barnes used a California driver's license in the name of J.R. to attempt to withdraw $6,000 from J.R.'s account at a Wells Fargo in Helena. Barnes was unsuccessful, however, because the bank informed him that it did not have adequate funds to cover the transaction. Barnes had used J.R.'s name in other transactions outside Montana where he had successfully obtained funds from J.R.'s account. Also, on January 10, 2008, YOUNG drove the group to Butte where Barnes once again used D.B.'s name at a Wells Fargo branch to withdraw $3,000, showing a credit card and California driver's license as identification.

Ultimately, Wells Fargo staff in Butte recognized Barnes from a recent Fraud Alert and notified authorities. All the individuals were apprehended near Dillon in a rented Jeep Cherokee. A search of the vehicle revealed numerous counterfeit driver's licenses, credit cards and social security cards.

Further investigation revealed that YOUNG drove the vehicles and retained the false identification materials along with the names and account numbers of bank customers. When the group approached a bank he would distribute the identities and counterfeit materials and send a "walker," such as Barnes or Minor, into the bank. The "walker" then returned funds to YOUNG who would retain the funds and give the "walker" one-third of the proceeds. YOUNG would also keep a percentage for himself and wire the remainder to unknown co-conspirators out of state. Additional investigation revealed that YOUNG obtained the false identification materials in Los Angeles, California, before embarking on trips to commit fraud.

Further evidence would have consisted of video and photographic surveillance of the individuals using false identification in Wells Fargo branches across the west, along with documentary evidence such as counterfeit checks, forged deposit slips and affidavits of forgery from the true account holders. Video footage would have also shown YOUNG wiring money to other co-conspirators via a Wal-Mart money gram.

Barnes and Minor pled guilty to federal charges and have been sentenced.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that YOUNG will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, YOUNG does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan M. Archer prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.