PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — A Pawtucket man will spend more than two years behind bars for his role in a scheme to create fake driver’s licenses and credit cards using stolen identities.
Hugh A. Martin, 33, was arrested on July 3, 2020, along with two other men after Warwick police found them sleeping in a vehicle with a stolen license plate. A bundle of 11 stolen credit cards was found tucked inside Martin’s sock, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha.
Prosecutors said the suspects used the fraudulent licenses and credit cards to make various purchases and rent vehicles and hotel rooms.
According to court documents, police also seized 18 phones, a computer, SD cards, a laminating machine, a magnetic strip reader, and a notebook containing people’s identities and other personal information from the vehicle.
In March, Martin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess fifteen or more counterfeit or unauthorized access devices, possession of fifteen or more counterfeit or unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identity theft.
He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison followed by three years of federal supervised release, Cunha’s office said.
A second man, Courtney Hilaire, 29, of Providence, was convicted for his role in the conspiracy, as well as fraudulently trying to obtain more than $3.3 million in small business loans during the pandemic. He was sentenced to 60 months in prison.
Prosecutors say the third suspect remains at large.