PITTSBURGH, PA — A New York resident has been sentenced to over three years in jail for his audacious identity theft crimes. Erick Cottrell, 54, hailing from White Plains, was handed down a hefty sentence of 38 months of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release.
United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand delivered the sentence following Cottrell’s conviction for unauthorized use of access devices and aggravated identity theft. The announcement came from United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan on Monday.
Court documents reveal a tale of deception and audacious theft that started in August 2022. Cottrell used a counterfeit Pennsylvania Driver’s License bearing the name of his unsuspecting victim to withdraw approximately $23,000 from the victim’s bank account. But Cottrell’s fraudulent spree didn’t stop there.
In September 2022, Cottrell found himself in handcuffs after Baltimore City Police arrested him in connection with another attempt to steal money from the same victim’s bank account using the counterfeit driver’s license.
His audacity knew no bounds. In April 2023, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police detectives traced Cottrell and his accomplices to a hotel on the North Shore of Pittsburgh. There, they had fraudulently rented three rooms, one of which Cottrell rented under the name of the same victim.
A joint investigation by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the United States Secret Service revealed Cottrell’s extensive fraudulent activities. He used the personal identification information of his victims to rent hotel rooms and make fraudulent purchases across the Pittsburgh area.
Before announcing the sentence, Judge Weigand highlighted the severity of Cottrell’s crimes and his extensive criminal history.
Assistant United States Attorney Brendan T. Conway led the successful prosecution of Cottrell’s case on behalf of the government.
United States Attorney Olshan praised the United States Secret Service, Baltimore City Police, and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for their concerted efforts in investigating the case, leading to the successful prosecution of the audacious fraudster.
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