ICYMI: Prosecutor: 7 People Charged in Identity Theft, Fraud Ring

The Union County Prosecutor’s Office reported seven people from New Jersey and New York were arrested and charged in an identity theft and credit card fraud scheme that generated more than half a million dollars in cash and merchandise.

According to the prosecutor’s office, Harpreet Singh, 35, of the Iselin section of Woodbridge, Vidhi Vohra, 26, and Kunal Vohra, 23, both of the Avenel section of Woodbridge, were each charged with two counts of second-degree theft. Saquib Khan, 29, of Parlin was charged with two counts of third-degree receiving stolen property. Jaswinder Singh, 53, of the Colonia section of Woodbridge, and Saeed Choudry, 52, and Anjum Sabar, 34, both of Queens, New York, were each charged with second-degree possession of identifying documents to facilitate fraud.

The charges follow a three-week investigation involving the Westfield Police Department Detective Bureau, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Union County Prosecutor’s Office’s Special Prosecutions Unit.

The defendants acquired multiple forms of government-issued identifying documents from people with dual Indian and United States citizenship, authorities said. Harpreet Singh, Vidhi Vohra and Kunal Vohra then reportedly used the documents to obtain fraudulent driver’s licenses. After acquiring the phony driver’s licenses, the group then used them for credit cards and gift cards from department and chain stores.

The conspirators used the fraudulently obtained credit cards to buy thousands of dollars in merchandise, including power tools, high-end jewelry, TAG Heuer watches, iPhones, Beats by Dre headphones and cases of expensive spirits such as Johnnie Walker Blue Label scotch, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Harpreet Singh also sold the merchandise and the credit cards and gift cards.

As a result of the investigation, approximately $540,000 in cash was frozen, authorities said. Additionally, more than $75,000 in merchandise and more than 250 driver’s licenses and credit cards were recovered from properties owned and rented by the defendants, the prosecutor’s office reported.

Second-degree charges typically carry with them penalties of five to 10 years in state prison.