A Lilburn man was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday for his involvement in a large-scale credit card theft ring involving 10 other defendants.

Norman Uriah Simmonds, 33, is one of the two leading defendants in the case, according to a news release. He was sentenced to serve eight years and six months, followed by three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $107,324.

The thefts started from June 2009 to November 2010, according to U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates, the charges and other information presented in court. The defendants obtained and possessed electronic devices referred to as “skimmers,” which are capable of copying and storing debit and credit card account information.

The 11 defendants, some of whom were employed by restaurant and retail establishments, used the skimmers to obtain customers' card account numbers. The restaurants and retail establishments include Shogun Japanese Steakhouse in Columbus; a Krystal restaurant in Columbus; a McDonald’s in Atlanta; and Polished Nail Salon in Lawrenceville. 

After retrieving the debit and credit card account numbers from the skimmers and processing the data during the investigation, the defendants transferred the stolen account numbers to the magnetic stripes of blank white plastic cards or gift cards using device-making equipment referred to as “encoders,” which altered the cards’ magnetic stripes to include the stolen debit and credit card account numbers. The defendants subsequently used the altered cards to purchase things of value, including United States postal stamps from Automated Postal Centers throughout Georgia.

“This case demonstrates that consumers need to be aware of the risks of using credit cards, and that they need to check their accounts regularly for unexplained purchases or activity,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates.

The other leading defendant in the case, 28-year-old Steven Michael Jackson, of Atlanta, was sentenced to serve five years and one month, followed by three years of supervised release. He also was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $33,254.

All pleading guilty, the other nine individuals are:

• Sean Carlos Deloatch, 27, of Columbus,     
• Bryan Charles Jones, 33, of Atlanta,
• Vanessa Echeverry, 20, of Lawrenceville
• Antonio Escobal, 35, of Columbus
• Lakeysha Renee Hill, 27, of Columbus
• Jerome Christopher Ledgister, 27, of Stockbridge     
• Dwayne Matthew Neely, 29, of Columbus
• Tamicka Lashaun Trice, 28, of Atlanta
• Carmen Marie Walker, 25, of Atlanta

Defendants Deloatch, Echeverry and Trice are scheduled to be sentenced before United States District Court Judge Richard W. Story at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13. The remaining defendants have previously been sentenced.

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