HARRISBURG - The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that United States Judge Christopher C. Conner sentenced Ekow Harley, age 33, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to 48 months in prison for mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Harley was a member of a conspiracy in which co-conspirators, using the personal identifying information of unknowing victims, opened Sprint cell phone accounts. In opening the accounts, the co-conspirators would order cell phones and have them shipped to residences, unassociated with the victims or conspiracy members. The tracking numbers for the packages were then sent to co-conspirators, to include Harley, that would pick the packages up from the houses after delivery. Through this scheme, Harley was personally responsible for over $90,000 loss and the use of the identity of at least 33 victims.
Gerrit Deku and Joseph Ofori were also members of the conspiracy. On March 23, 2022, Judge Conner sentenced Deku to 34 months imprisonment. On Aug. 16, 2022, Judge Conner sentenced Ofori to one year probation.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Ford prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys