Identity Thief Who Targeted Beverly Hills Residents In $2.6M Scheme Sentenced

BEVERLY HILLS, CA —A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced to over five years in federal prison for obtained nearly $2.6 million when he stole Beverly Hills residents' identities by stealing their mail, opening fraudulent bank accounts and gaining unauthorized access to their phone numbers, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Oren David Sela, 36, of North Hills, pleaded guilty last year to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. His sentence handed down Tuesday also includes an order to pay $1.81 million in restitution, according to prosecutors.

Authorities first arrested Sela in December 2022 after he was found driving a car reported as stolen. At that time, law enforcement found six debit and credit cards in the names of four different victims, prosecutors said.

After that, authorities found him in possession of bank account information belonging to at least 18 different victim accounts, five driver's licenses, seven debit and credit cards and checks and receipts for expensive retail items, including a watch worth nearly $17,000, according to court documents obtained by Patch.

Sela stole the mail of Beverly Hills residents between November 2021 and October 2023. Using the mail to obtain personal identifying information, Sela opened bank accounts in the victims' names and transferred their funds. In order to beat phone-based security measures, he would engage in SIM swapping, where he would transfer a victim's phone number to a phone he controlled, prosecutors said.

The losses incurred by four victims total some $2.6 million, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.