ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark on Tuesday sentenced a man to 51 months in prison for using stolen personal information he obtained on the dark web to buy five vehicles worth $333,000 at dealers around the country.
Judge Clark also ordered Michael Calvin, 45, to pay $193,000 in restitution. Some of the vehicles have not been recovered and the dealers incurred costs in recovering others.
Calvin purchased victims’ stolen personal information and a template of a Missouri driver’s license on the dark web and then created fake licenses and identification cards to use in his scheme. From Nov. 1, 2023, to Aug. 31, 2024, Calvin used fake identification and the stolen personal information to purchase cars online, as shown below:
Date Vehicle Location Price Nov. 1, 2023 Chevrolet Camaro Iowa $45,122 Feb. 24, 2024 Jeep Cherokee Wisconsin $43,967 April 29, 2024 Dodge Charger Hellcat Tennessee $90,785 July 8, 2024 Chevrolet Corvette Oklahoma $61,175 Aug. 2, 2024 Dodge Durango Wisconsin $92,921 Calvin was shot in St. Louis on Aug. 13, 2024, while trying to sell the Durango, according to court documents. He was living at a Rolla motel at the time of his arrest. He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis in May to two counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service; the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department; the Missouri State Highway Patrol; the Ohio State Highway Patrol; and police departments in Eureka, Independence, Raymore, Richmond Heights, Rolla and St. Ann in Missouri; as well as Davenport, Iowa; El Reno, Okla.; Fond du Lac, Wisc.; and Lombard, Ill. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Roy prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Eastern District of Missouri — U.S. Department of Justice press release.