October 18, 2023 at 04:52PM
Former U.S. Navy IT manager Marquis Hooper has been sentenced to five years and five months in prison for illegally obtaining and selling US citizens’ personally identifiable information (PII) on the dark web. Hooper and his wife, Natasha Renee Chalk, illegally obtained sensitive personal information from 9,000 people and sold it on the dark web for Bitcoin. The couple’s actions allowed criminals to commit crimes such as document forgery and bank fraud. Chalk is scheduled to receive her sentence on November 20, 2023.
Meeting Takeaways:
1. Marquis Hooper, a former U.S. Navy IT manager, has been sentenced to five years and five months in prison for illegally obtaining and selling personally identifiable information (PII) of U.S. citizens on the dark web.
2. Hooper and his wife, Natasha Renee Chalk, were indicted in February 2021 and Hooper pleaded guilty to aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in March 2023.
3. Hooper opened an online account with an undisclosed company in August 2018, claiming it was needed for conducting background checks on Navy personnel.
4. Hooper gave his wife access to the account, and they obtained PII of 9,000 individuals, which was later sold on the dark web for Bitcoin payments valued at around $160,000.
5. The purchased PII was used by some individuals for crimes like document forgery and bank fraud.
6. In December 2018, the account used by Hooper was flagged for suspected fraud.
7. Hooper attempted to regain access to the database through another person but was unsuccessful due to stricter verification procedures.
8. Natasha Renee Chalk currently faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, with her sentence scheduled for November 20, 2023.
Please note that these are key takeaways from the meeting notes. For a more comprehensive summary, additional information can be included.