Sales Manager Admits Supplying Customers' Personal Data to ID Theft Ring

Have we even scratched the surface?

By Vanessa Blum | South Florida Sun-Sentinel

A former employee of a Plantation car dealership pleaded guilty today to mail fraud conspiracy, admitting he supplied personal data from dozens of customers to an identity theft ring.

Dayton Diaz, 26, of Miramar worked as a sales manager at Rick Case Acura in Plantation until September 2008. He sold information from roughly 75 customers, including their names, addresses and Social Security numbers, to another man for $9,000, federal prosecutors said.

That man, Fitzroy Carter, 30, of Plantation, used some of the stolen identification to purchase Hewlett Packard computers worth more than $130,000.

The computers were shipped to victims' home addresses.

Knowing the approximate date and time of deliveries, members of the identity theft ring would wait for delivery and claim the computers by presenting fake drivers licenses , prosecutors said.

South Florida Crime & Safety Another man charged in the fraud, Kearn Matthew, 26, of Lauderhill, also pleaded guilty today in Fort Lauderdale federal court.

Diaz, who has no prior criminal record, faces a likely sentence of two to three years. Matthew, who has two previous convictions for credit card fraud, could be sentenced to more than six years in prison.

Diaz's attorney, Jared Bossola, said his client is remorseful and has cooperated with law enforcement. (I'll bet he is).

"My client regrets this whole situation and regrets his relationship with those individuals who thrive off identity theft," Bossola said. "He basically succumbed to peer pressure."

Vanessa Blum can be reached at vblum@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4605.


AFI's Take on This:

This is surely desperation on the part of Diaz, an unfortunate sign of the times in the car business today.

I heard this story at my dealer group's annual Laws & Regs "refresher meeting" that started promptly this morning at 8:30.

My dealer group barely slid in the minimum requierd annual training to enforce our bona-fide error defense.

On the 18th of December.

Talk about cutting it close.

It seems funny that when times are tight, the first thing that is postponed is paid training.

Oh well, at least something is better than none at all.

Everyone can't be self motivated, like are myself, and YOU, the readers of this blog.

We will define together the meaning of a well-run F&I Department.

I was told that Diaz had a one year old child. It is a shame.

I feel sorry for his child and the victims of his identity theft, but not for him. We are in the car business during trying times.

The strong and compliant will survive.

Sigh,

Now, I am going to continue my evening by finishing this bottle of very good Merlot and watching some old James Bond movie in Hi-Definition.

Cheers, AFI


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