Identity Theft Used To Scam Insurer Out Of 2500 Cellphones

Federal prosecutors say a man who scammed his way into getting an insurance company to ship out nearly 2,500 fraudulently obtained cellphones has been sentenced to serve more than five years in prison. Acting U.S. Attorney Jack Smith of the Middle District of Tennessee said 24-year-old Johnny Santiago Valdez Calderon was sentenced to serve 61 months in prison for engaging in a wire fraud and identity theft scheme. Court documents say Valdez Calderon was living in the Dominican Republic but having runners pick up phones shipped to hotels around the U.S., sell them and send him most of the proceeds.