Four people used stolen credit cards to buy $1.7M in cigarettes

ATLANTA / CNN — Four people were sentenced to federal prison for buying over a million dollars’ worth of cigarettes with stolen credit cards.

Mamadou Sow, Demarcus Myree, Boubacar Tivalo, and Jacob James are accused of using dozens of credit cards to buy $1.7 million worth of cigarettes at multiple Sam’s Clubs throughout Atlanta. They had signed up for memberships in their names and aliases, officials said.

The crimes spanned from Sept. 2018 to Nov. 2018.

“Identity theft wreaks havoc on the lives of individuals and compromises the financial security of victims,” Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine said. “The sentences reflect the egregiousness of their conduct and the harm caused to dozens of victims, including individuals, financial institutions, and the retail establishments.”

The defendants have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross as follows:

• Demarcus Myree, a/k/a Yuri Markosov, 27, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to two years, six months in prison for access device fraud and possession of a stolen firearm, to be followed by two consecutive years imprisonment for aggravated identity theft. He was also sentenced to serve two years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $339,545.42. Myree was convicted on these charges on June 26, 2019, after he pleaded guilty.

• Jacob James, a/k/a Mark Johnson and Joe Johnson, 31, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to two years in prison for access device fraud, to be followed by two consecutive years imprisonment for aggravated identity theft. He was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $635,242.75. James was convicted on these charged on November 24, 2020, after he pleaded guilty.

• Mamadou Sow, a/k/a Moussa Sow, 30, of Guinea, was sentenced to two years, six months in prison for access device fraud, to be followed by two consecutive years imprisonment for aggravated identity theft. He was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $749,772.31. Sow was convicted on these charges on July 23, 2019, after he pleaded guilty.

• Boubacar Tivalo, a/k/a Tivado Boubacar, 46, of Guinea, was sentenced to two years, six months in prison for access device fraud, to be followed by two consecutive years imprisonment for aggravated identity theft. He was also sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $664,305.52. Tivalo was convicted on these charges on September 10, 2019, after he pleaded guilty

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