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June 4, 2004
The United States Attorney for the Northern District of California announced that Roman Vega, 39 of Ukraine, made his initial appearance in federal court in San Francisco today following his extradition from Cyprus on a 40-count indictment alleging credit card trafficking and wire fraud. Mr. Vega entered a not guilty plea to all charges.
According to the indictment, which was unsealed today, Mr. Vega is alleged to have used Internet chat rooms to traffic in credit card information of thousands of individuals that had been illegally obtained from sources around the world, including credit card processors and merchants. Mr. Vega was also allegedly an operator of a Web site at www.boafactory.com, where stolen and counterfeit credit card account information was allegedly bought and sold.
In particular, the indictment charges Mr. Vega with 20 counts of wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343 and 20 counts of using of unauthorized access devices (credit cards) with intent to defraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(2). The maximum statutory penalty for each count in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343 is 20 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, plus restitution if appropriate. The maximum statutory penalty for each count in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1029(a)(2) is 10 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, plus restitution if appropriate.
However, any sentence following conviction would be dictated by the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of factors, and would be imposed in the discretion of the Court. An indictment simply contains allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Mr. Vega must be presumed innocent unless and until convicted.
Following the government's motion to detain defendant as a flight risk pending trial, United States Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero remanded Mr. Vega into custody pending a detention hearing to be held on Wednesday, June 9 at 9:30 a.m. The defendant is also scheduled to appear for a status conference before United States District Judge Charles R. Breyer on June 9 at 2:15 p.m.
United States Attorney Kevin V. Ryan stated: "This case signifies the Northern District of California's commitment to bring criminal charges against those alleged to be major traffickers of stolen credit card account information. It also should serve as an example to individuals abroad who commit frauds against our country's citizens and institutions that the Department of Justice will vigorously seek their extradition to the United States."
The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the San Francisco Electronic Crimes Task Force, which includes agents from the United States Secret Service and the United States Postal Inspection Service. The United States Embassy in Cyprus and the authorities from Cyprus also substantially assisted in Mr. Vega's extradition.
The investigation was overseen by the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) Unit of the United States Attorney's Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Kyle F. Waldinger and Christopher P. Sonderby are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release may be found on the U.S. Attorney's Office's website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/can. Related court documents and information may be found on the District Court website at www.cand.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.cand.uscourts/gov.
All press inquiries to the U.S. Attorney's Office should be directed to Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher P. Sonderby, Chief of the CHIP Unit, at (408) 535-5037, or Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Jacobs at (415) 436-7181.
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