Douglasville Mother, Son Convicted For Fraud, Identity Theft: DOJ

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — A Douglasville woman and her son have been convicted on federal charges related to “a multi-state identity theft and fraud ring,” according to a statement Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Quinae Shamyra Stephens, 41, and her son Deandre Copes, 23, each face a maximum of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1 million for “conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud,” according to the statement. Stephens also faces a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence for aggravated identity theft.

After viewing more than 120 exhibits and hearing from more than dozen witnesses from seven different states, a jury in South Carolina convicted Stephens for conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft, aggravated identity theft, interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle, and felon in possession of a firearm and ammo. Copes already had pleaded guilty to wire and bank fraud conspiracy.

“Stephens enlisted her son in a sophisticated scheme that involved using the dark web, among other resources, to steal the identities and credit card information of numerous individuals across the country,” U.S. Attorney Corey F. Ellis said Wednesday.

Police Found Dozens Of IDs And A Device To Alter Credit Cards: DOJ

Evidence presented at trial established that Stephens and Copes were travelling from New Jersey to Florida in a stolen rental van. They drew the attention of Latta, South Carolina, police, who noticed them going back and forth between a bank and a local retail store.

A search of the van revealed more than a dozen identification documents, including several with Stephen’s picture paired with various names, according to the statement. Also found were a device for re-encoding credit cards with different account information, and more than 25 debit and credit cards. Most cards were in the names of individuals other than Stephens or her son.

Further investigation by the Secret Service revealed that Stephens would download instructional material from the dark web related to credit card fraud and identity theft. She would then use software from the dark web to procure personally identifiable information. Stephens’ laptop also contained instructional material and files that could be used to create fake banking websites to steal account information.

In addition, according to the government’s statement, Stephens had a loaded semi-automatic handgun — something she shouldn’t have had because of prior felony convictions in Georgia.

“Even in a small town like ours, crime doesn’t pay,” said Josh Holt, chief of the Latta Police Department.

U.S. District Judge Sherry Lydon will sentence Stephens and Copes after reviewing probation reports.

Read the full statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.