HARVEY MAN CHARGED WITH FEDERAL CHARGES OF ACCESS DEVICE FRAUD AND BANK FRAUD

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA -MORRIS VIRDEAN WARNER, age 45, a resident of Harvey, Louisiana was charged in an eighty-three (83) count superseding indictment by a Federal Grand Jury for unauthorized access device fraud, counterfeit access device fraud, and bank fraud announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.

The superseding indictment charges that from approximately February, 2004 and continuing until June, 2005, MORRIS VIRDEAN WARNER installed computer equipment and recording devices at a dry cleaners owned by his family and was able to capture the debit card account numbers and corresponding Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) of approximately seventy-five bank customers. According to the indictment, after encoding the customers' Debit Card information on magnetic strips on white plastic cards to be used at ATMs, WARNER made unauthorized withdrawals in both the New Orleans area and in Florida. It is alleged that WARNER stole over $100,000.

If convicted, MORRIS VIRDEAN WARNER faces a maximum term of imprisonment of ten (10) years, a fine of $250,000.00 and three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment for each of the seventy-five (75) counts of access device fraud and a maximum term of imprisonment of thirty (30) years, a fine of $1,000,000.00 and five (5) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment for each of the eight (8) counts of bank fraud

U. S. Attorney Letten reiterated that the superseding indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation is being conducted by the Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorneys Dorothy Manning Taylor and Brian J. Capitelli.