Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A Texas man who briefly lived in Kentucky was sentenced yesterday to four and half years in prison for aggravated identity theft and numerous other charges at United States District Court in Louisville after he was caught with over 40 counterfeit credit cards at the city’s Muhammad Ali International Airport

Bronson Meador, 35, of Hurst, Texas, who lived for a brief time in Elizabethtown, was charged with aggravated identity theft, unlawful possession of identity documents, possession of counterfeit and unauthorized credit and debit card information, and possession of equipment to make fraudulent credit and debit cards.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Kentucky said that according to court records Meador engaged in a months-long scheme in 2021 to obtain and use counterfeit and unauthorized credit and debit cards and other personally identifying information and financial information of various real individuals for his own personal benefit.  As part of his scheme, he would purchase and otherwise obtain counterfeit and unauthorized credit card, debit card, and other personally identifying information and financial information of various individuals, known and unknown to him, and then use that information to personally assume their identities and access the financial accounts of those individuals without their authorization.  Meador would also use the information to manufacture unauthorized access devices, such as credit or debit cards, which he subsequently used or sold.

When Meador was encountered and stopped by law enforcement in April 2021, while engaged in an act of aggravated identity theft, he was in possession of at least 16 identification documents, including driver’s licenses, social security cards and military identification documents, and at least 44 credit or debit card numbers, several of which he had recently used to make unauthorized purchases.

“I appreciate the combined effort of the United States Secret Service, the Elizabethtown Police Department, and the Louisville Airport Police during the investigation and prosecution of this case,” said United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett.  “The fallout for victims of identity theft is burdensome, costly, and often long lasting.  I commend our law enforcement partners for their quick response in this case and their ongoing work to make the Western District safer for all citizens.”

Other members of law enforcement sounded off on the case.

“This case should serve as a strong deterrent for criminals considering taking part in identity theft and related fraud schemes,” said Robert Holman, Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service Louisville Field Office.  “The Secret Service along with our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and arrest criminals who attempt to defraud and victimize our citizens.”