Columbus man sentenced to prison for fraud crimes related to stealing identities for lines of credit

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A Columbus man was sentenced in federal court here today to 30 months in prison for committing fraud crimes related to stealing identities to get more than $100,000 in fraudulent lines of credit.

Siyuan Ye, 24, of Columbus, pleaded guilty in February 2024 to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, between January 2022 and August 2023, Ye stole the identities of at least 15 victims. Ye repeatedly obtained Ohio and Florida driver licenses of other individuals without their authorization and then used the licenses to fraudulently obtain credit from retailers in the victims' names.

He used the fraudulent credit to purchase a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, three motorcycles and a variety of electronics.

For example, in April 2023, Ye used a stolen identity and fraudulent line of credit to purchase $8,400 worth of goods from a Micro Center in Columbus. Ye bought graphics cards, laptops and an Apple watch.

That same month, Ye used the same Ohio victim's identity to buy a Suzuki motorcycle at Iron Pony Motorsports in Westerville.

Ye also used another victim's identity to rent an apartment and obtain renter's insurance.

Ye has no legal status in the United States; he entered the country in 2017 on a student visa to attend The Ohio State University. He did not complete his degree and unlawfully remained in the United States.

As part of his sentence, the defendant was ordered to pay more than $78,000 in restitution.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Jared Murphy, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

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