A Hartford man who authorities said stole the identities of high-profile celebrities, including rapper 50 Cent and New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, and used the victims’ credit cards to buy Tiffany & Co. diamonds, Honda Vespa scooters and three used Cadillacs, has been sentenced to more time in prison for violating conditions of his supervised release, according to federal authorities.
Authorities said Jonathan Preston, 27, and another person defrauded seven high-profile victims across the country, including singers and athletes from Farmington, Conn., Miami and Beverly Hills, and made more than $500,000 in unauthorized purchases and cash withdrawals, according to investigators.
Court documents showed a singer in the Farmington case was taken for more than $462,000. The suspects allegedly used his American Express number, bought three Cadillacs and hired a limousine to drive one defendant and a child from Hartford to Ohio.
Investigators did not release the names of the victims.
Preston was sentenced on May 27, 2014 to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release. He was released from federal prison in August 2017.
On February 22, 2019, Hartford police arrested Preston on fraud, larceny and identity theft charges, according to the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. The investigation revealed that Preston fraudulently obtained an American Express card for an account belonging to a prominent entertainer’s business, and then used the card to make multiple charges and attempted charges, causing a loss of $13,296.93, according to Durham’s office.
Federal authorities said the state charges against Preston are pending.
A judge ordered Preston remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to begin serving his sentence.
He will be on supervised release for 32 months when he is released from prison.
Federal authorities said the state charges against Preston are pending.
