TEMP EMPLOYEE OF STATE AGENCY GETS 6 MONTHS FOR STEALING AGENCY'S CREDIT CARD NUMBER

Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr. announced today the conviction of Darryl Shelton, 44, of 7874 Cornerstone Way, in the Gwynn Oak section of Baltimore, in connection with the theft of clothing and accessories from various men's clothiers by posing as the assistant or husband of a Maryland Environmental Service employee, who was the authorized account holder of the agency's purchasing credit card that he used to steal the items.

In October 2000, Shelton was employed by a local Baltimore temporary employment agency when he was assigned to work in the accounts payable department of the Maryland Environmental Service agency, located in Annapolis. He worked there for only three-and-a-half days, during which time he had access to the credit card account information issued to authorized employees. He used the account information to order merchandise by phone and mail-in catalog from various vendors totaling approximately $2,400 and had the items delivered to his home address. The scheme was discovered when a pair of designer men's shoes were delivered to the employee who was the authorized account holder. The agency immediately cancelled the credit cards and other orders that Shelton had placed were intercepted.

In today's case, Shelton was found guilty of felony credit card fraud and identity theft. The Honorable Marcella A. Holland, Circuit Court for Baltimore City, sentenced Shelton to three years with all but six months suspended and two years supervised probation upon his release. He was given a delayed turn-in date of September 23, 2002, as he is a witness in an unrelated criminal case. If he fails to turn himself in, the judge may increase his sentence.

"Everyone needs to be vigilant in protecting themselves against identity theft," Attorney General Curran said. "The wrong person in possession of a credit card number or other sensitive information can lead to detrimental financial consequences for the victim and serious legal consequences for the criminal."

The case was investigated by the Maryland Environmental Service, the Maryland State Police and the Attorney General's Criminal Investigations Division.

#