E-fencing ringleader gets 8 1/2 years in prison
SEATTLE - The ringleader of a sophisticated e-fencing operation that sold stolen electronics over eBay was sentenced Friday to 8 1/2 years in prison and ordered to pay hundreds of thousands in restitution.
Gabriel Jang, 37, of Newcastle also was ordered to forfeit three houses purchased with the proceeds of his scheme as well as $116,527 in cash, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods.
The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik, who told Jang "you became a sophisticated crook."
Jang was the leader of an ID theft ring that netted over $3.2 million selling stolen goods over eBay for years.
According to records filed in the case, members of the conspiracy would hang out at work-out facilities and fitness centers in Washington, Oregon and as far away as Georgia, and would break into the lockers of people using the gyms.
Jang provided co-conspirators with mobile computer equipment to quickly manufacture false identity documents, such as driver's licenses, to be used with the stolen credit cards. The conspirators used the stolen credit cards and fake IDs to purchase high-end electronics.
Jang recruited the locker thieves, provided them with equipment and paid them about half the face value of the items they procured with stolen credit cards. He then fenced the stolen electronics over the Internet auction web site eBay. PayPal records show Jang's account received more than $3 million between April 2001 and August 2008.
Federal authorities were able to identify Jang after discovering that one of his co-conspirators, Billy M. Britt, 37, of Renton had set up a Best Buy rewards account. A comparison of rewards account purchases to items posted on eBay ultimately led to Jang.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Barbosa said the conspiracy spanned five different states, victimized dozens of individuals and more than 20 banks.
Jang "was at the center of this conspiracy and he was responsible for providing sophisticated computer support that allowed the conspiracy to flourish for years," Barbosa wrote in his sentencing memo.
"Mr. Jang operated a highly sophisticated fencing operation that generated revenues much like a mid-sized business operation," Barbarosa said.
The case was investigated by the Secret Service, the Seattle Police Department and the Internal Revenue Service, with assistance from numerous local police departments including the Bothell and Renton police departments.
Gabriel Jang, 37, of Newcastle also was ordered to forfeit three houses purchased with the proceeds of his scheme as well as $116,527 in cash, along with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stolen goods.
The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik, who told Jang "you became a sophisticated crook."
Jang was the leader of an ID theft ring that netted over $3.2 million selling stolen goods over eBay for years.
According to records filed in the case, members of the conspiracy would hang out at work-out facilities and fitness centers in Washington, Oregon and as far away as Georgia, and would break into the lockers of people using the gyms.
Jang provided co-conspirators with mobile computer equipment to quickly manufacture false identity documents, such as driver's licenses, to be used with the stolen credit cards. The conspirators used the stolen credit cards and fake IDs to purchase high-end electronics.
Jang recruited the locker thieves, provided them with equipment and paid them about half the face value of the items they procured with stolen credit cards. He then fenced the stolen electronics over the Internet auction web site eBay. PayPal records show Jang's account received more than $3 million between April 2001 and August 2008.
Federal authorities were able to identify Jang after discovering that one of his co-conspirators, Billy M. Britt, 37, of Renton had set up a Best Buy rewards account. A comparison of rewards account purchases to items posted on eBay ultimately led to Jang.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Barbosa said the conspiracy spanned five different states, victimized dozens of individuals and more than 20 banks.
Jang "was at the center of this conspiracy and he was responsible for providing sophisticated computer support that allowed the conspiracy to flourish for years," Barbosa wrote in his sentencing memo.
"Mr. Jang operated a highly sophisticated fencing operation that generated revenues much like a mid-sized business operation," Barbarosa said.
The case was investigated by the Secret Service, the Seattle Police Department and the Internal Revenue Service, with assistance from numerous local police departments including the Bothell and Renton police departments.