Stolen credit card conspiracy nets ex-Philly cop a 5 year prison term

A former Philadelphia police officer who described himself online as a role model, even as he posted photos of the flashy cars and pricey liquor he bought with stolen credit-card information, was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison.

In a hearing in U.S. District Court, Rahim Henderson, 39, apologized to the victims he fleeced after buying their financial information from internet hackers - victims who included a Philadelphia police captain and his son.

"I know I'm going to jail. I made peace with that a long time ago," the former officer told Judge John R. Padova. "I'm just embarrassed, and I'm just sincerely, sincerely sorry for what I did. I really mean that. I won't even jaywalk again."

Padova, who called Henderson "greedy" and characterized his crimes as "egregious," also ordered him to pay $10,204 in restitution and a $75,000 fine.

"You know what you have to do to finish this story," the judge said. "Serve your time and pay the money."

A jury convicted Henderson last year on multiple counts including conspiracy, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft after a trial in which prosecutors painted him as a perpetual schemer.

Using a credit-card encoding machine, he created dozens of fake cards with the stolen information he had purchased over the internet.

Along with his wife, Tian Larode, and a sister, Waliyda Henderson - both of whom pleaded guilty to similar charges last year - he used the newly minted cards to make dozens of fraudulent purchases between April and October 2014, mostly at state liquor stores.

Photos on Henderson's Instagram account advertised his side business selling unique and expensive bottles of spirits out of the Atmosphere Lounge, a bar he owned in the city's Fairhill section.

Other photos posted by Henderson - of his Porsche, his Cadillac Escalade, his Lexus and BMW sedans, and a vacation home he owned in Florida - constituted evidence of a lucrative scheme, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Petkun said.

But even as he was ripping off anonymous strangers whose credit-card information he had purchased, Henderson was quick to accuse the hackers who sold it of trying to cheat him when some of the pilfered numbers didn't work, Petkun said.

While investigators had pegged Henderson's fraudulent purchases at $10,000 for purposes of his trial, they believe the true loss was much greater.

Waliyda Henderson testified last year that her brother sent her out to stores six times a week to use the forged credit cards.

"What was so galling was that Mr. Henderson was living the life of luxury, and a lot of that lifestyle was supported by this fraud," he said. "It's deeply disappointing that anyone who was a Philadelphia police officer would leave the force and devote themselves to crime."

jroebuck@phillynews.com

215-854-2608@jeremyrroebuck