Atlanta Men Used Dark Web To Steal IDs And Spend Thousands With Fraudulent Credit Cards

ATLANTA, GA — Two Atlanta men were sentenced to federal prison time for using the Dark Web to steal identities from more than 75 elderly victims around the country.

Durrell Tyler, 29, and DeShawn Johnson, 30, were both convicted of access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, and each is responsible for more than $130,000 in actual losses, federal prosecutors said.

“Criminals using darknet markets to steal identities wreak havoc on the lives of individuals and compromise the financial security of victims,” said U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “While law enforcement is focused on investigating and prosecuting these individuals, citizens are reminded to be vigilant with their personal identifiable information.”

Johnson and Tyler bought personal identifiable information like pilfered Social Security numbers, birthdates, and license numbers, from the dark web so they could open credit and credit card accounts in the names of their unsuspecting victims, prosecutors said.

Then they were able to get control of their victims’ phone lines, mailing addresses, and emails to have information forwarded to them, allowing the two to pretend to be the victims without alerting the victims to the fraud, according to authorities.

Law enforcement discovered that Tyler tried to forward the phone number of an elderly Georgia couple who had been murdered and began investigating him. Federal investigators were able to learn just how widespread their scheme ran through search warrants of multiple Atlanta area homes, finding victims’ mail, information for dozens of victims listed in phones, email accounts, and bogus drivers’ licenses in the name of senior victims with Tyler’s picture, prosecutors said.

Tyler was sentenced to five years and 10 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release and must pay $108,397.55 in restitution.

Johnson must serve three years and six months of federal prison time followed by three years of supervised release, and is ordered to pay $66,097.55 in restitution, federal officials said.

“These defendants motivated by greed targeted our most vulnerable population by seeking the identities of older individuals to violate their personal and financial well-being,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of Postal Inspectors. “Postal Inspectors and our law enforcement partners will continue to work every day to protect our elderly neighbors from financial exploitation.”