SAN JOSE – An East Coast man has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in a scheme to buy Target gift cards, sell the codes and return the cards for a full refund, ultimately bilking the retailer out of more than $500,000, according to authorities.
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Handed down by a U.S. District Court judge in San Jose, the sentence comes roughly six months after Michael O’Brien Jr., 32, of Worcester, Mass., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and five counts of wire fraud.
O’Brien, the ringleader, carried out the scheme with others from May 22, 2018, to about Oct. 23, 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release Wednesday. At least $508,000 was stolen from Target Corp. stores in California and 35 other states.
In his plea agreement, O’Brien admitted the goal was $1,077,100, according to authorities.
A grand jury indicted O’Brien on Aug. 3, 2023.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Beth Labson Freeman ordered O’Brien to serve three years of supervised release and repay the retailer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.