Final defendant sentenced to federal prison for role in interstate identity theft scheme

PORTLAND – On Monday, March 2, 2020, Gary Peck, 44, of Clark County, Washington, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison and 3 years’ supervised release for his role in a credit card fraud ring that operated in the greater Portland metropolitan area from February 2017 to February 2018.

Peck is the tenth and final defendant sentenced for crimes associated with the scheme. The scheme’s leader and organizer, Jonathan Dominic Coons, 41, of Vancouver, Washington, was sentenced on January 25, 2019, to 75 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, to facilitate the scheme, Coons, Peck, and their co-conspirators manufactured more than 1,100 counterfeit credit and debit cards and used them throughout Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. To create the counterfeit cards, the group embossed stolen credit card and other identifying information on gift cards purchased or stolen from local stores. The majority of stolen information used by the group belonged to individuals residing in Canada and Australia.

The group used the counterfeit credit and debit cards to purchase various items including hotels, rental cars, and merchandise they would in turn sell online or trade for illegal narcotics. The group would organize “shopping” trips, working their way along Interstate 5 and stopping at various shopping centers to use the counterfeit cards. They structured these trips to maximize their use of the cards and avoid detection by law enforcement.

During the investigation, local law enforcement officers obtained and executed a search warrant on Peck and co-defendant Dawn Szabo’s shared residence. Like Peck, Szabo, 42, also of Clark County, had extensive involvement in the scheme and participated in many of the group’s “shopping” trips. Their residence was used as a flophouse where the co-conspirators planned the scheme, manufactured the counterfeit cards, and used drugs.

Sentenced defendants include:

• Jonathan Dominic Coons – 75 months in prison and three years’ supervised release
• Mikayla Brewington, 26, of Clark County – 54 months in prison and three years’ supervised release
• Samantha Rudd, 25, of Multnomah County, Oregon – 54 months in prison and three years’ supervised release
• Dawn Szabo – 52 months in prison and three years’ supervised release
• Bryce Sfetku, 30, of Clark County – 48 months in prison and three years’ supervised release
• Sarah Epley, 42, of Multnomah County – 36 months in prison and three years’ supervised release
• Courtney Foster, 36, of Multnomah County – 36 months in prison and three years’ supervised release
• Gary Peck – 36 months in prison and 3 years’ supervised release
• Kevin Leighty, 36, of Multnomah County – 30 months in prison and three years’ supervised release
• Kimberly Patterson, 33, of Multnomah County – 24 months in prison and three years’ supervised release

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Vancouver Police Department and prosecuted by Rachel K. Sowray and Scott E. Bradford, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

If you or someone you know believes you have been the victim of an identity theft crime, please contact HSI at (866) 347-2423. You can also submit a tip online by visiting: ice.gov/tips.