A federal grand jury has indicted a Pittsford father and son on 19 counts in an alleged synthetic identity fraud scheme that investigators say involved more than 1,000 credit and debit card applications and resulted in more than $2.2 million in losses.
Talib Hussain, 75, and Mirza Khan, 48, both of Pittsford, are charged with conspiracy to commit bank, wire and access device fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York.
The charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
What the indictment alleges
According to the indictment, the alleged scheme operated from about 2012 through July 23, 2024.
Hussain, Khan and their alleged co-conspirators obtained valid Social
Security numbers belonging to real people and used them without permission to create synthetic identities, prosecutors said.
The scheme allegedly targeted children, whose credit histories may be less frequently monitored.
The defendants allegedly used the identities to submit about 1,072 online applications for credit and debit cards from financial institutions.
Prosecutors said the defendants rented apartments in the Western District of New York and used them as mailing addresses for the cards.
Cards allegedly used for purchases, property taxes
After obtaining the cards, Hussain, Khan and others allegedly used them to make purchases at retailers including Apple, BJ's Wholesale Club and Sam's Club.
The cards were also allegedly used at businesses operated by the defendants, including Lucky Beverage, Chili Express Mart and Easy Food Market.
Prosecutors said the defendants also used the cards to pay property taxes on three Rochester properties.
The indictment alleges the defendants used fraudulent checks to make payments toward the card balances, temporarily increasing their spending limits. The full balances ultimately were not paid, prosecutors said.
Financial institutions lost about $2.2 million
The alleged scheme caused damage to the credit ratings of identity-theft victims and resulted in approximately $2.26 million in losses to financial institutions, according to the indictment.
The institutions identified by prosecutors include American Express, Bank of America, Barclays Bank Delaware, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Citibank, Comenity Bank, Discover Bank, First National Bank of Omaha, Synchrony Bank and U.S. Bank.
"This case serve[s] as a warning that those who commit identity theft will be prosecuted," U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo said. He also urged families to monitor their children's credit.
Investigation continues
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire.
The investigation involved the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Pittsford father, son charged in alleged $2.2 million credit card fraud scheme
