Previous Story
Lizama sentenced to 2 years in prison for identity theft
|
Posted on Feb 25 2021
A man was sentenced in the U.S. Court for the Northern Mariana Islands to two years in prison for pretending to be his brother and stealing $30,850 from his brother’s bank account.
Brian Galang Lizama, 49, was sentenced in the U.S. Court for the Northern Mariana Islands to 24 months imprisonment for aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered Lizama to pay $30,850 in restitution, serve one year of supervised release following imprisonment, perform 50 hours of community service, and pay a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
According to a statement yesterday from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Lizama obtained a copy of his brother’s birth certificate from the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. in December 2019 and he used the certificate to obtain an identification card in his brother’s name from the Saipan Mayor’s Office.
Lizama then used the identification card to withdraw a total of $30,850 from his brother’s Bank of Guam savings account. Lizama’s brother discovered the theft upon later checking the balance on his savings account by phone.
“Theft scams occur by many methods, including the unlawful use of identity documents. The substantial loss in this matter warranted federal prosecution,” said U.S. Attorney Shawn N. Anderson.
He urged the public to take precautions with their personal information and regularly monitor their financial accounts to combat activities like this. If someone suspects they may be a victim of identity theft, contact law enforcement immediately. Additional assistance may be obtained at IdentityTheft.gov or by calling the Federal Trade Commission at (877) 438-4338.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the CNMI Department of Public Safety. The case was prosecuted by Garth R. Backe, assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands. (USAO)
