A woman who goes by the alias “Deez Nuts” pleaded guilty to her role in a gang of robbers, pickpockets and identity thieves, U.S. attorneys announced Monday.
Sylvia Price, 50, admitted to fraud and identity theft as part of the Simple City Criminal Organization, a gang located and operating in southeast Washington, D.C., and southern Maryland. Price stole at least $453,900 with more than 230 separate identities for the crime ring, the announcement said.
Price took credit cards, checks and IDs from purses and wallets stolen by other members of the gang to make fraudulent purchases and withdrawals. “The money obtained from those transactions was given to Price, who then provided a portion to another SCCO member, to divide with the co-conspirators who stole the pocketbooks,” according to the statement from the Maryland district attorney’s office.
Authorities say the Simple City Criminal Organization, named for a low-income neighborhood of southeast D.C., brought in more than $5 million since 2009. It was led by Price, along with Stefon Janey, alias “Stef” or “Stef Luva,” and Jessica Rubio, alias “Jazz,” who would meet regularly to discuss plans for their crimes, according to their June, 2015, indictment.
The group trafficked firearms and committed armed robberies, according to the indictment. Most of their crimes resulted from auto theft. The gang was great at “hop-ins,” where a gang member would steal a car that was left running unattended. At one point, the group targeted cars of those visiting a cemetery.
“They would wait for a victim to park the car at a gas station or convenience store and leave the keys in the car and the defendants would then jump in and steal the car,” U.S. Attorney for Maryland Rod Rosenstein said during a news conference last summer.
The group leaders would give out advice to young recruits on how to commit crimes. “They were essentially running their own little crime school,” Rosenstein said.
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