Mueller announces guilty plea of American in ID theft case

[grantcart]

Source: Market Watch

Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Friday announced a guilty plea with Richard Pinedo, saying the American man used stolen identities in connection with defeating security features of digital payment companies. The plea deal followed an indictment of 13 Russians for breaking U.S. laws to interfere with the 2016 elections. The Pinedo announcement does not mention the 2016 election.

Read more: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/mueller-announces-guilty-plea-of-american-in-id-theft-case-2018-02-16

[Honeycombe8]

1. What does that have to do with the 2016 election, I wonder? nt

[MGKrebs]

3. I don't know, but since Meuller found it, it seems it must be connected.

Maybe the Russian guys were using these fake identities to funnel money to the NRA, or something like that?

[Honeycombe8]

6. He gave them fake IDs. Anyone who did anything illegal re these indicted Russians....

is going to be charged. All of the benefits the Russians got worked toward allowing them to do their deeds in the U S re the election.

[Cold War Spook]

12. While investigating the 2016 election,

if he finds anything illegal he can also investigate it.

[Honeycombe8]

16. +1. nt

[Honeycombe8]

2. Found something: He allegedly gave Russians fake IDs.

Cirilli works for Bloomberg.

Link to tweet

[MGKrebs]

5. Yes, they were somehow creating bank accounts with the fake ID's.

https://www.justice.gov/file/1035547/download

[Honeycombe8]

7. Aha. Deep Throat's admonition of old: Follow the Money. nt

[grantcart]

9. yep I first heard the name as "Pornado" which is the other breaking story for Trump lol

[FailureToCommunicate]

15. "Pornado"!

[haele]

4. Funding of operations or falsifying accounts?

If he was able to create shell organization accounts and pay for them on host sites using false identities, that could be linked to the Russia probe.

Haele

[Hekate]

8. 5th Rec, grantcart

[herding cats]

10. A plea deal seems to imply he had information to offer.

What that information was is the question.

[safeinOhio]

13. Money trail, might lead to

Putin direct pressure.

[Honeycombe8]

17. Yes. The authorities don't make plea deals...

unless the perp has something to give up that's worthwhile. OR the case is iffy enough that the authorities are less sure about a guilty verdict. But in the case of the latter, the perp doesn't usually admit guilt, because his chances are better.

[Fiendish Thingy]

11. I think this may be a bigger deal than the 13 Russians indicted

Think of the Wategate burglars ...

[Ellipsis]

14. This one looks meaty.

[WhiteTara]

18. This is the most interesting part to me

These facts do not constitute all of the facts known to the parties concerning the charged offense; they are being submitted to demonstrate that sufficient facts exist that the defendant committed the offense to which he is pleading guilty.

[TomSlick]

19. My theory....

The indictment references the Russians using false IDs and stealing IDs to do the financial part of the election interference. My guess, since Mueller found this while investigating the Russian actions, is that Pinedo was assisting the Russians in stealing IDs.

It may be not a big deal. I may be that there is some connection between Pinedo and people whose names we know.