Southfield man pleads guilty to $28 million cellphone fraud conspiracy
DETROIT, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Delano Bush, 34, of Southfield pled guilty on Dec. 6 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in connection with a multimillion-dollar cellphone upgrade fraud scheme, United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison said.
Bush and others fraudulently obtained personally identifiable information (PII) of other people to buy cellular devices on credit, according to court records.
They charged the devices to accounts opened in the names of ID-theft victims, without the victim's permission, court records show.
This started in early June 2017 through Sept. 2019, according to court records.
More than 26,000 fraudulent transactions were involved in the scheme, resulting in a loss of more than $28,000,000, according to Ison.
"Today's guilty plea marks a significant event in a years-long investigation and prosecution. As this case shows, identity theft is constantly evolving, and fraudsters continue to find new ways to use and abuse their victims' personal information," Ison said. "My office remains committing to unraveling sophisticated fraud schemes such as this one, and to bringing the perpetrators of these schemes to justice."
Bush faces a maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment on the charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to Ison.
Bush's plea agreement requires him to pay restitution to AT&T in the minimum amount of $1,500,000, Ison added.
His sentencing is scheduled for April 25, 2024.