NJ Army Recruiter Charged with Identity Theft

🚨 An Army recruiter is charged with bank fraud

🚨 Federal prosecutors say she stole recruits' data to open fraudulent accounts

🚨 She is charged with fraud and identity theft

An Army recruiter from New Jersey has been charged in a massive fraud scheme that victimized recruits and recruit candidates, according to federal prosecutors.

U.S. Attorney Philip Sellinger says Jane Crosby, 33, of Jersey City, stole the identities of the multiple recruits and used that data to defraud a credit union.

Crosby, who is a sergeant first class in the U.S. Army, has been charged with fraud and seven counts of aggravated identity theft.

She is facing 30-years in prison and up to a $1 million fine if convicted.

How the scheme worked

According to investigators, Crosby used her role as an Army recruiter to obtain the personally identifying information of U.S. Army recruits and recruit candidates. This data included victims’ names and Social Security numbers as well as copies of their passports, driver’s licenses, and/or Social Security cards.

Using that data, it is alleged that Crosby submitted “Pre-Active Duty Membership” bank account applications to a credit union on at least seven occasions.

"Once these credit union accounts were opened, Crosby, posing as the victims, applied for approximately $266,000 in loans and credit card accounts and used some of the accounts to deposit fraudulent checks and then withdraw funds," Sellinger said in a statement.

According to prosecutors, the bank fraud charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.

The aggravated identity theft counts carry an additional consecutive mandatory minimum term of two years in prison and a maximum fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.

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