A Miami man has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison after investigators uncovered hundreds of stolen accounts and fake identification documents inside a locked room at his home.
According to the United States Department of Justice, 33-year-old McKenzie Monestine pleaded guilty in December to possessing more than 15 unauthorized access devices and aggravated identity theft. The charges stemmed from a 2020 investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On Friday, a federal judge sentenced Monestine to 55 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Court records show that in June 2020, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Monestine’s residence. Inside a padlocked room, agents discovered what authorities described as evidence of a large-scale fraud operation.
Investigators found Social Security numbers, bank account details, credit and debit card numbers, driver’s license information, passwords, phone numbers, and dates of birth belonging to numerous victims. Much of the activity was allegedly conducted online using Monestine’s laptop and multiple cellphones.
On one device alone, agents reportedly identified 450 unauthorized access devices, along with text messages containing sensitive financial information, including banking credentials and debit card PIN numbers.
Authorities estimate total victim losses ranged between $250,000 and $550,000.
In addition to digital evidence, agents seized $11,000 in cash, credit cards issued in other individuals’ names, counterfeit identification cards, Western Union money orders, and a credit card re-encoding device.
The case highlights the scale and sophistication of identity theft schemes that rely on stolen personal and financial data to access victims’ accounts.
