Marquis Asaad Hooper, 30, and his wife, Natasha Renee Chalk, 37, have been charged for the alleged illegal sale of more than 9,000 stolen identities in exchange for bitcoin payments of at least $160,000. The couple face maximum penalties of 20 years in prison.
According to a report from NBC Los Angeles, Navy US veterans, who now live in Fresno County, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Fresno last week on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
“In August 2018, Hooper contacted a company that stores personal information on millions of people, falsely claiming that the Seventh Fleet needed access to its database to conduct background checks on Navy personnel.” the report says.
Over the next two and a half months, the couple searched for tens of thousands of people and obtained information on more than 9,000 people, the prosecutors said.
They sold that personal information to others in exchange for bitcoin payments of at least $160,000, according to the indictment. The recipients of the information then used it to commit identity theft, according to the charges.
Attorney Michael McKneely, who represents Hooper, said the couple accessed the database clearly as part of the scope of their work and argued that the couple accessed “commercially available” databases that are open to the general public.
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