Man who ate debit card convicted in fraud scheme

DALLAS, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A Dallas identity thief accused of eating a debit card in an attempt to conceal evidence was convicted on 16 charges.

Ogiesoba City Osula, 37, was convicted Friday on 16 charges stemming from an investigation into an identity theft and income tax fraud ring, the Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday.

Osula was arrested in 2011, in possession of $300,000 in cash and money orders, in addition to numerous debit cards, including authorities say he ate in an attempt to conceal evidence.

Prosecutors said Osula and four accomplices, who have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, used stolen identities to file fraudulent income tax returns and claim millions of dollars in refunds. The refunds were distributed via stored-value cards or bank accounts set up in the names of the stolen identities.

Osula and the other suspects -- George Ojonugwa, 32; Eseos Igiebor, 43; Ebenezer Legbedion, 42; and Evelyn Nyaboke Haley, 34 -- are due to be sentenced at a later date.