Michael John Mancuso, III, DOB: 11-29-89, appeared in the Jefferson County District Court on September 30 where he was sentenced to 24 years in prison for his role as ringleader in an ID Theft ring that operated in Jefferson County and the metro Denver area between December 2017 and April, 2018.
Following trial in August, a jury found Mancuso guilty of 43 counts, including Violation of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act (COCCA) for engaging in a pattern of racketeering.
Mancuso was one of eight people indicted. He and members of the enterprise illegally obtained financial and personal information of real people, including names, addresses, credit card numbers, security codes, and expiration dates. He would purchase Bitcoins at ATM machines and then go on the dark web where he would purchase Chase VISA card information belonging to individuals living in the Denver metro area.
Members of the enterprise would purchase goods and services using information from the credit cards. Often a member of the enterprise would contact a business by telephone and tell them they wanted to purchase an item for a relative. They would then provide the credit card information over the phone. Another member of the group would pick up the pre-paid item. They would then sell the items to pawn shops or second-hand stores. Members would be paid, or promised, a fee for each item they sold.
Mancuso’s seven codefendants were indicted and convicted based upon their participation in the enterprise:
Jacob Wyatt Westfall, DOB:2-22-98 Faith Marie Knight, DOB: 1-30-92
Matthew Paul Lane, DOB: 1-22-76 Texie Shannon Lane, DOB: 3-21-83
Dwone Daunte Extor, DOB: 5-28-96 Chelsea Juanita Dix, DOB: 11-19-93 Kristina Julie Babe, DOB: 7-28-78
Mancuso has eight prior felony convictions.
