A Miami resident has been sentenced to 55 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to charges related to aggravated identity theft and possession of unauthorized access devices. Mckenzie Levar Monestine, 33, admitted to possessing approximately 450 fraudulent, stolen, or counterfeit access devices, including credit card numbers, social security numbers, and other personal information used to gain access to bank accounts.
Monestine’s guilty plea was entered in December 2025 following an FBI investigation that began in 2020. Authorities executed a search warrant at his residence on June 22, 2020. During the search, law enforcement discovered extensive evidence of fraud inside a secured room. This included mechanisms for accessing banking information belonging to others—such as personally identifying information (PII), account passwords, driver’s license numbers, phone numbers, bank account numbers, credit card and debit card numbers, and dates of birth.
Electronic devices seized during the operation contained spreadsheets with about 450 access devices and notes on a MacBook Pro holding additional PII. Investigators also found numerous text messages on Monestine’s phone containing logins for banking accounts and PINs for credit and debit cards.
Physical evidence collected included over $11,000 in cash; numerous credit, debit, and gift cards in other people’s names; fake identification cards; Western Union money orders; a device used for re-encoding credit cards; and mail addressed to others. The estimated financial loss from Monestine’s activities is between $250,000 and $550,000.
“This defendant built a fraud operation on stolen identities, at least 450 of them,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “He stockpiled Social Security numbers, bank credentials, and credit card information in spreadsheets and on electronic devices, treating other people’s identities like inventory. Identity theft is not a victimless crime. It drains savings, damages credit, and disrupts lives. If you traffic in stolen identities in South Florida, you will face federal prosecution and real prison time.”
The case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Maultasch for the Southern District of Florida along with Trial Attorneys Jinah Chang and Jennifer E. Burns from the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative aimed at addressing violent crimes in Miami through collaboration among local, state, and federal agencies.
Additional court documents are available through the District Court for the Southern District of Florida website at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20282.
