August 20, 2010
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News: Inmate Operates Credit Card Theft Ring From Prison
Hotel room service employees were tricked by a Florida prison inmate who led to his ability to steal guests' credit card data and personal information. While serving time for fraudulent use of personal identification, credit card fraud, and grand theft at the Suwannee Correctional Institution in Live Oak, Damion Goldsmith also known as Daimion Andrico Goldsmith used relatives and friends to operate his credit card and identity theft activities. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), from within the four walls of his cell, Goldsmith targeted hotel guest located in Orlando, Alabama, and North Carolina and possibly other states.
Goldsmith's scheme involved pretending to be security and calling hotel room service employees asking for the room numbers of the guests they recently serviced. Surprisingly, many of the employees revealed the room numbers. Afterward, Goldsmith and his accomplices called the hotel guests telling them there was a "bug in the computer" which interfered with the room service payment transaction. He then asked the guests to supply their names, addresses, credit card numbers and expiration dates, and phone numbers. Goldsmith made it difficult for the guests to hear him and when they said they couldn't hear, he said he would hang up and let his co-worker take the information. Although many of the guests refused to give the information, at least eight individuals obliged allowing Goldsmith to rack up over $10,000 in fraudulent credit card transactions.
The investigation, labeled Operation Spoiled Vacation, began back in February when the Florida Department of Corrections notified the FDLE that they had recoded Goldsmith's telephone conversations where he had been using stolen credit card numbers. Also involved in the elaborate prison scheme are Kendra Hodge, Lavonda Goldsmith, Geneva Legrier, and Levell Jones. All have been arrested and are facing charges on fraud. They remain in the Orange County, Florida jail on $10,000 bail for each. An additional suspect, Edison Filer remains at large.