Storm funds ripoff charged; Feds: Maryland man stole hurricane victims’ identities as part of $8M scam of FEMA program
A
In an affidavit filed
He would then withdraw the money at various locations, including Walmart cash centers in
Okirika has been charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was released after an initial court appearance.
Officials with
A federal public defender representing Okirika did not return calls Tuesday.
Okirika is listed in the affidavit as one of three co-conspirators in the case, and investigators claim "about
In one case, the
Okirika then used that card "to register for
The card also was used to claim
After the
In total, Okirika allegedly used 178 Green Dot debit cards to receive fraudulent payments of
"For registration, individuals can use any real individual's name and address (Green Dot does work to verify that names and addresses match), and can register the card anonymously from a mobile phone or the Internet," the affidavit reads.
"Sometimes, individuals perpetrating fraud schemes will register the cards using the same stolen identities that they are otherwise exploiting," it continues. "They may also use entirely different stolen identities or, on occasion, their own identities."
It's through this system, the
There are also questions as to how
In at least one instance, the
Writing about an alleged fraudulent claim made using the stolen identity of a
"Money was paid to the card on behalf of (the victim) on or about
According to
It is unclear whether
Green Dot did not reply to questions as to whether the alleged scheme will cause them to review their policies.
Credit: By
Caption: Green Dot cards are unique pre-paid debit cards that allow for more anonymity than a traditional bank card.
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