New details regarding the involvement of University of Memphisbasketball player Clyde Wade in an identity theft ring have come tolight.
Wade was suspended from the tea, pending the outcome of afederal identity theft indictment which accuses him of fraudulentlyacquiring gift cards and selling them at half-price.
Wade was among nine people indicted Wednesday in connection withthe identity theft ring, which included his mother, Ida MortonWade, and his sister, Tavis Wade.
Wade could be charged with violating the Identity Theft andAssumption Deterrence Act.
The law states that any person who "knowingly transfers anidentification document or a false identification document knowingthat such document was stolen or produced without lawful authority"could be fined and/or face up to 15 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoaman Leigh Anne Jordon would notcomment on any possible involvement by other members of theteam.
Memphis Athletic Director R.C. Johnson said Wade will besuspended until the situation is cleared up.
"Wade has been suspended from participation in Universityathletic activities -- including basketball -- pending resolutionof the matter," Johnson said in a prepared statement. Wade was notsuspended from attending classes at The U of M.
Head Coach John Calipari could not be reached for comment.
Johnson, Calipari and the University are no longer answeringquestions or speaking about the situation.
"This is a criminal matter at this point and it would beinappropriate for us to make any statements on a criminal matter,"U of M legal counsel Sheryl Lipman said.
Patricia A. Johnson is the alleged head of the conspiracy.
Authorities believe Johnson orchestrated the entire operationfrom prison.
Johnson was an inmate worker for TRICOR, TennesseeRehabilitative Initiative in Correction, where she dealt withindividual's personal information.
Johnson logged names, social security numbers and birth dates ofpeople into computer databases.
It is alleged that Johnson took the individual's information andused it to obtain credit account information and then, pretendingto be the real account-holder, would add users to the accounts whocould buy merchandise, gift cards and obtain money through thefraudulent account.
Jennifer Johnson, a department of correction spokeswoman, saidprison officials received an internal tip about Johnson'sactivities.
U.S. Secret Service later informed the department that it hadalso been conducting an investigation of their own into Johnson andthe identity theft ring.
Diane Denton, a spokeswoman for the Health Department, told theAssociated Press that their contract with TRICOR was terminatedbecause inmates who had been convicted of white-collar crimes wereworking with the personal information of other individuals.
"We became aware there might have been a breach of security andthat they may not have been complying with the terms of thecontract, which expressly prohibited them from using inmates who'vebeen convicted of crimes involving fraud, embezzlement or identitytheft," Denton said.
According to the indictment, Ida Morton Wade is accused offinding people to access the fake accounts. Tavis Wade, a salesrepresentative of Goldsmith's, is alleged to have processedfraudulent transactions.
The indictment also stated that Clyde Wade received the phonygift cards and sold them to persons at half their value.
