Abstract
Six individuals caught in a Secret Service sting called Operation Firewall pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit credit and bank card fraud and ID document fraud. Two other individuals involved in the scam previously pleaded guilty to the same charge. All were among 19 who were indicted last year, charged with running a private-access Web site where people from around the globe bought and sold sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, and fake IDs. The ID theft ring is thought to have trafficked in more than1.5 million credit card numbers, close to 18 million e-mail accounts, and other information that was used to buy and sell merchandise online.One who pleaded guilty, Wesley Lanning, specialized in making and selling fake IDs. His attorney, Marc Leibman, said that although Lanning sold most of the IDs to teens to use to buy beer, "obviously everyone is concerned that some...militant is going to get one of Wesley Lanning's fake IDs and use it to transport a bomb."