Columbus man pleads guilty in multimillion-dollar card-cracking scheme
A Columbus man arrested three years ago in a multimillion-dollar “card-cracking” scheme has pleaded guilty to several charges, the Columbus Police Department announced Thursday.
Police said Drekian Dowdell was arrested in 2022 after a 2021 CPD Financial Crimes Unit investigation of mail thefts involving business mailboxes and USPS blue collection boxes.
Police said these thefts caused checks to be stolen, account numbers to be copied, counterfeit checks to be created and launched a scam known as “card cracking.”
The American Bankers Association defines card cracking as a form of fraud where consumers respond to an online solicitation for “easy money” and provide a debit card for withdrawal of fake check deposits.
CPD’s investigation led to Dowdell being identified as the key suspect and, eventually, the ringleader of multiple cases tied to the operation, according to police.
Dowdell pleaded guilty to two counts of identity fraud, two counts of theft by deception and two counts of third-degree forgery, CPD Sgt. Jane Edenfield told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Police said Dowdell was sentenced to four years in prison, followed by several years of probation. Court records show Dowdell was sentenced to four years in confinement with a probation term of 10 years.
“A four-year sentence for financial fraud reflects the seriousness of the offense and establishes that such crimes in Columbus will be met with real accountability,” the news release said.