A Miami resident was sentenced to federal prison after authorities found hundreds of stolen or counterfeit access devices and extensive personally identifying information linked to online fraud.
A federal judge ordered a sentence of 55 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for Mckenzie Levar Monestine, 33, of Miami, after a probe uncovered a large cache of fraud tools and data. The defendant pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one count of possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices and one count of aggravated identity theft. Court records describe a mix of digital files and physical materials used to target other people’s financial accounts.
The matter traces to a June 22, 2020 search warrant executed at Monestine’s residence, where investigators found a locked room containing evidence of widespread identity misuse. Agents recovered personally identifying information, social security numbers, account passwords, driver’s license numbers, phone numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, debit card numbers, and dates of birth belonging to other individuals. Those items were stored in various formats across cellphones and a MacBook Pro, including a spreadsheet listing approximately 450 access devices.
Electronic communications further tied the defendant to the material, with text messages that contained logins, PINs, and banking credentials for other people’s accounts. Investigators report the online nature of much of the scheme, noting that the devices held notes and spreadsheets that organized and preserved the stolen data. The discovery showed not just isolated cases but a catalog of information enabling repeated access to victims’ finances.
Physical items seized during the search gave investigators additional proof of fraudulent activity, including over $11,000 in U.S. currency and a large quantity of credit, debit, and gift cards bearing other people’s names. Authorities also recovered fake identification cards, Western Union money orders, and a credit card re-encoder used to write information onto a card’s magnetic strip. The combination of hardware and financial instruments indicated both online and in-person efforts to monetize stolen credentials.
The government estimated loss to victims in this matter at between $250,000 and $550,000, a figure that reflects the scale of accounts and transactions linked to the seized data. Prosecutors relied on device forensics and financial records to quantify the impact and connect Monestine to the fraudulent access. That monetary range informed sentencing considerations and weighed heavily in the plea resolution.
The case was announced by Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of FBI Miami Field Office. The FBI Miami Field Office conducted the investigation into the accounts and materials recovered from the defendant’s residence. Those offices coordinated the evidence review and case presentation to the court.
Trial Attorneys Jinah Chang and Jennifer E. Burns of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Maultasch for the Southern District of Florida prosecuted the matter on behalf of the government. The prosecution emphasized both the volume of unauthorized devices—approximately 450—and the organized nature of the records maintained across multiple electronic platforms. Legal filings and the plea agreement outlined the elements the government proved to reach the guilty plea.
Court papers describe how the defendant collected, organized, and exchanged personally identifying information across devices and messages, creating a persistent repository of others’ financial access tools. The spreadsheet and notes on the MacBook Pro represented an index of victims that could be used to commit further fraud or to support resale of account access. Text messages corroborated those records with transactional details and login data.
The sentence combines a substantial prison term with supervised release to monitor post-incarceration compliance and to prevent immediate recidivism, reflecting federal sentencing practices in identity theft and access-device cases. The plea to possessing 15 or more unauthorized access devices and aggravated identity theft carries statutory penalties that informed the agreed disposition. The court’s judgment aims to address both punishment and deterrence.
Investigators and prosecutors framed this prosecution within broader enforcement priorities that target organized fraud and identity misuse that threaten consumers and financial systems. The Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative is cited in related materials as part of a multiagency approach to serious offenses in the Southern District of Florida. Federal authorities emphasized collaboration with local and state partners to investigate and disrupt schemes that exploit online platforms and payment systems.
Records in the case provide a detailed inventory of seized items and electronic evidence used at sentencing, including lists of account numbers and identifying data preserved in files and messages. Those exhibits supported the government’s loss estimates and clarified the operational methods used to access victim accounts. The combination of digital forensics and seized physical tools formed the evidentiary backbone of the prosecution.
