Two sentenced to prison for identity theft scheme in N.J.
By Joe Ryan/The Star-Ledger
January 11, 2010, 6:12PM
NEWARK -- A Los Angeles man who admitted participating in an international identity theft scheme targeting home equity lines of credit at banks in New Jersey and other states was sentenced in federal court in Newark today to five years and 10 months in prison.

Derrick Polk, 47, was arrested in 2008 along with three others and charged with targeting homeowners with big credit lines at financial institutions, including Citibank, JPMorgan Chase and credit unions in Basking Ridge, Bridgewater and Toms River.

A second man who pleaded guilty in the case, Oludola Akinmola, was sentenced today to four years and three months in prison. The 39-year-old illegal immigrant from Nigeria may eventually face deportation.

Authorities say the men used stolen personal data and technological tricks to fool bank employees into transferring funds to accounts in at least seven countries. The alleged plot hinged on the personal information that is the bedrock of most identity theft scams: Social Security numbers, mothers’ maiden names and online passwords, authorities said.

Polk pleaded guilty in September and faced between roughly four and six years in prison under the terms of his agreement with prosecutors, said Seth B. Kosto and Erez Liebermann, the assistant U.S. attorneys who handled the case. Akinmola pleaded guilty in August and faces between 17 months and roughly three years through his deal.

The two other suspects in the case also pleaded guilty and have already been sentenced: Adekunle Adejuyigbe, was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison; Oluwajide Ogunbiyi was sentenced to 15 months.

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