46 People Charged in Operation ‘Phish Phry’

LOS ANGELES – Five people were convicted today of federal charges for their
roles in an international “phishing” operation that used spam emails and bogus websites
to collect personal information that was used to defraud American banks.
The five found guilty this afternoon by a federal jury were among 53 defendants
charged in the fall of 2009 as part of Operation “Phish Phry,” a multinational
investigation conducted in the United States and Egypt that led to charges against 100
individuals – the largest number of defendants ever charged in a cybercrime case. With
today’s guilty verdicts, 46 people have been convicted in federal court in Los Angeles
as a result of Phish Phry.

A portion of the illegally obtained funds withdrawn were then transferred
via wire services to the Egyptian co-conspirators who had originally provided the bank
account information obtained via phishing.
The defendants found guilty today were:

• Nichole Michelle Merzi, 25, of Oceanside, who was found guilty of conspiracy,computer fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft;
•  Tramond S. Davis, 21, of Las Vegas, Nevada, who was found guilty of conspiracy;
• Shontovia D. Debose, 22, of Las Vegas, Nevada, who was found guilty of conspiracy;
• Anthony Donnel Fuller, 22, of Corona, who was found guilty of conspiracy and two counts of bank fraud; and
• Me Arlene Settle, 22, of Garden Grover, who was found guilty of conspiracy and two counts of bank fraud.

The five defendants are scheduled to by sentenced by United States District Judge

Valerie Baker Fairbank on October 31.