SYRACUSE -- A Syracuse man has pleaded guilty to credit card fraud in connection with an investigation by various law enforcement agencies into a credit card scheme last September. He also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian says 37-year-old Kareem Highsmith used counterfeit credit cards with stolen numbers to make purchases at Wegman’s in Fayetteville and at a Price Chopper in Syracuse. The news release says that Highsmith used a stolen, re-issued American Express card to make nearly $5,000 worth of purchases between June 9 and June 13, 2011.
Prosecutors say that police found 399 credit card numbers on Highsmith’s computer during a check on February 13, 2012. Police also found equipment used to make fake credit cards and a Kimber .45 caliber pistol.
Highsmith could spend up to 10 years in prison, with a minimum of 2 years, along with 3 years of supervision upon release and a maximum $250,000 fine, according to prosecutors.
Highsmith is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17 in Syracuse.
