MILAN, Mich. – A Milan resident was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison after having pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in a scheme to defraud Amtrak and others, along with firearms offenses, announced United States Attorney Matthew Schneider.
Christian Newby, 32, was sentenced. Newby was sentenced by United States District Judge Gershwin Drain.
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As part of his plea agreement, Newby agreed to the entry of a $550,000 money judgment and to forfeit any and all property derived from the scheme.
According to court records, from March 2018 through January 2019, Newby fraudulently obtained credit card information for more than 1,100 credit card holders.
Newby used the stolen credit card information to purchase Amtrak tickets online. After purchasing the tickets, Newby would then cancel the Amtrak tickets and receive vouchers for the value of those tickets from Amtrak.
Newby then advertised and sold the Amtrak vouchers to unwitting buyers on eBay at a fraction of the cost.
This was all done without the knowledge or consent of the true card holder.
Amtrak suffered a loss of more than $540,000 as a result of the scheme. As part of the investigation, agents executed a search warrant at Newby’s home and recovered several improvised explosive devices, narcotics, firearms, and ammunition.