BEVERLY HILLS—On Tuesday, October 24, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of Oren David Sela, 35, of North Hills (25 miles north of the San Fernando Valley) in an identity theft case of fraudulently obtaining close to $2.6 million allegedly.
Reports indicate that Sela stole mail and packages delivered to Beverly Hills residents and used their personal information to open bank accounts in their names. He proceeded to illegally transfer money out of his victims’ bank accounts.
Sela was charged in an eight-count indictment by a federal grand jury including three counts of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of possession of 15 or more unauthorized electronic access devices, one count of unlawful possession of five or more identity documents, and two counts of possession of stolen mail.
Reports indicate that Sela had been incarcerated since December 2022, when he was arrested for driving a stolen car. During his arrest, police found several debit cards in the names of at least six of his victims.
Upon further investigation, authorities were able to recover bank account information on at least 18 different victims, several debit cards, and large retail items including a $17,000 watch.
According to prosecutors, if convicted, Sela may face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count of bank fraud, plus up to 10 years in prison for unauthorized possession of access devices, and five additional years prison time for each count of mail fraud. In addition, he could be sentenced to a mandatory two-year prison sentence for aggravated identity theft to be served consecutively with his other sentences.
According to the DOJ, authorities believe there may be up to 20 additional victims from Sela’s identity theft schemes that took place between November 2021 and October 2023.
By Sharon