Miguel Bell, accused of leading an identify theft gang, had affairs with "many" women tellers as part of a scam that typically used the information to generate bogus checks, said United States Attorney Michael L. Levy. A total of 24 people have been charged.
Bell, 34, who lives in the Wyndmoor section of the city, "apparently has certain wonderful charms," said Levy. "What he did was get various employees at various banks to give him information."
Bell's indictment was unsealed this week and the charges disclosed at a press conference today.
Dozens of accounts at eight banks were compromised. At Citizens Bank, one teller is accused of providing information on 37 customers, which allowed Bell and his accomplices to "acquire and attempt to acquire" $390,000.
Customers have been reimbursed by the banks for the thefts, Levy said.
Bell's defense attorney, Robert Gamburg, said "I know that Mr. Bell maintains his innocence . . . but at this point in time, it's premature for me to comment."
Bell and four alleged members of his ring were taken into custody this week. The case dates to 2006, when police in Lower Providence and Deptford, N.J., made arrests for what "at the time they thought were petty crimes" involving fraudulent checks, said Robert Slama, special agent in charge of the Philadelphia office of the Secret Service, which along with protecting government officials investigates financial crimes.
As the inquiry expanded, it turned out to be a "large criminal enterprise," Slama said.
Levy said that while the case might cause "some people to panic because it does involve insiders. . .be aware people who do these schemes will get caught."
The banks involved generally declined to discuss the case or the status of employees facing criminal charges.
"We don't comment on ongoing litigation," said a Citizens Bank senior vice president, Sylvia Bronner.
Other banks targeted were PNC, M&T Bank, Provident Bank, SunTrust Bank, Commerce Bank and Sovereign Bank.
The stolen information included Social Security numbers, drivers' license numbers, account data and other personal information used to generate fake drivers' licenses and fraudulent checks.
Bell and his accomplices recruited "check runners" to pass the fraudulent checks. The organizers would collect the money, allowing the "runner" to keep a small amount. Many of those check runners were drug addicts, said officials.
The transactions were for relatively small sums.
The ring also got customer information from an employee at Colonial Penn Insurance, and from an employee at a used car dealership. A total of $1.3 million is believed to have been stolen.
Along with Bell, charged were Christopher Russell, 34; Kareem Russell, 31; Michael Marin, 31, and Tamika Brown, 32. All are from Philadelphia, and all are in custody. They have not yet entered a plea.
Other participants in the scheme faced charges earlier in the investigation. Some have pleaded guilty, and others are a waiting trial.
All were charged with various forms of identity theft and bank fraud.
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