A Malden man has entered a guilty plea to charges of extensive fentanyl distribution and a litany of identity fraud offenses. Derick Coulanges, 28, who also goes by the alias "Casa," admitted to his crimes in a Boston federal courtroom on January 5, 2024, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Recorded in the act by a cooperating witness, Coulanges was caught selling 50 grams of the potent opioid from the comfortable confines of his Mercedes Benz early last year. In the same recordings, the trafficker outlined how to leverage counterfeit driver's licenses with stolen personal information for setting up bank accounts and purchasing items on illegal credit, the U.S. Attorney's Office described. The sentencing has been scheduled for April 12, and Coulanges could face a hefty time behind bars.
In March 2023, a drug customer's stolen identity led investigators to Coulanges' apartment in Malden, where around 28 grams of methamphetamine was also discovered. A further search of his luxury vehicle has turned up multiple falsified driver's licenses, replete with stolen personal info. One such license featured Coulanges' photo but belonged to an individual in Ohio, reported the authorities.
Subsequent investigation has revealed a slew of victims, all falling prey to identity theft through Coulanges' elaborate scheme. Their pilfered personal identifiers were found to have opened bank accounts and credit cards without their knowledge. Not satisfied with just the fraudulent credit, Coulanges went on a spending rampage, including a $12,000 splurge on jewelry, captured on surveillance footage.
The litany of charges against Coulanges could see him facing up to 20 years in prison for drug distribution alone. Identity theft crimes carry their significant sentences: up to 15 years in prison for the possession of five or more identification documents with ill intentions and another potential decade for fraudulently obtaining over $1,000 through unauthorized access devices.
These developments echo a relentless commitment from Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy, Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI's Boston Division, and Interim Colonel John E. Mawn Jr. of the Massachusetts State Police to crack down on the confluence of drug trafficking and financial fraud, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit heading the prosecution.
