Three Indiana Residents Charged In Nationwide SIM-Swapping Conspiracy

OAKLAND - An indictment was unsealed today charging three Indiana residents, Indigo Kiara Graham, Cortez Tarmar Crawford, and Trevon Demar Allen with conspiracy in connection with a SIM-swapping operation.

All three defendants were arrested yesterday and made their initial appearances in federal court in South Bend, Ind.

According to the indictment filed on Nov. 7, 2024, Graham, 27, Crawford, 22, and Allen, 30, all currently of Elkhart, Ind., are alleged to have conspired with each other and with additional co-conspirators to unjustly enrich themselves by targeting victims for SIM (subscriber identity module) swaps. A SIM card is an integrated circuit that stores authentication and other information for devices on mobile phone networks. In a SIM swap, a criminal actor causes the SIM card assigned to a victim's account with a mobile service provider to be changed to a SIM card controlled by the criminal actor. Upon obtaining control of the SIM card that is attached to the victim's cell phone service, the criminal actor can impersonate the victim to other service providers (such as email providers, cryptocurrency exchanges, and social media accounts) by using the victim's cell phone number to receive password reset codes.

The indictment describes how, beginning around April 2023 to around May 2024, the defendants allegedly created fraudulent identification documents in victims' names, performed SIM swaps in exchange for money, and fraudulently obtained two-factor authentication codes, thereby accessing and stealing victims' money and data, extorting victims for money in exchange for restoring access to data, and concealing the ill-gotten funds through cryptocurrency transactions. Graham and Crawford are also charged with committing aggravated identity theft in connection with one incident involving both Graham and Crawford and a second incident involving only Crawford at a mobile service provider store in El Cerrito, Calif.

All three defendants were released and ordered to appear on Dec. 4, 2024, for their initial appearances before the Honorable Kandis A. Westmore, U.S. Magistrate Judge.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years of imprisonment, $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, $100 special assessment, forfeiture, and restitution for the conspiracy charge in count one; Graham and Crawford also face a mandatory minimum sentence of two years of imprisonment to run consecutively to any other sentence and in addition to the sentence for the underlying felony, $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, $100 special assessment, and restitution for each count of aggravated identity theft with which they are charged.

However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle J. Kane is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kathy Tat. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.

Indigo Kiara Graham Indictment