Man who led luxury goods fraud ring gets federal prison
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The head of a credit card fraud ring that bought more than a half-million dollars in bags, shoes, jewelry, and other goods from luxury stores in Southern California has been sentenced to four years in federal prison. The U.S. attorney’s office says Trace Jones of Los Angeles was sentenced Monday for conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors say Jones and others used stolen ID information from American Express cardholders to order replacement cards. They then used the cards to buy goods at Gucci, Barneys and other high-end stores in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Costa Mesa.