TexasBitcoin

Waxahachie Man Sentenced to 70 Months in Federal Prison for $1.7M SIM Card Swapping Fraud Scheme

Feb 27, 2026 · Sourced to the U.S. Department of Justice

This case reached the sentenced stage in the Department of Justice's public record. Everything below reflects only what the government itself announced, and links to the original release.

A Waxahachie man who coordinated a SIM card-swapping fraud scheme was sentenced today to 70 months in federal prison.

Announced

Feb 27, 2026

Status

Sentenced

Defendants

  • Kimionte Bennettage 30 · Waxahachie, Texas · sentenced
  • Leticia Contrerasage 30 · Dallas, Texas · sentenced
  • Osvaldo Guajardoage 31 · Houston, Texas · sentenced

Charges

  • Conspiracy to commit wire fraud

    Max: 70 months in federal prisonKimionte Bennett· pleaded guilty

  • Charge

    Max: 57 months in federal prisonLeticia Contreras· sentenced

  • Charge

    Max: 30 months in federal prisonOsvaldo Guajardo· sentenced

Financial actions

  • restitution: $1,769,438Restitution ordered for actual loss sustained by victims of the SIM card-swapping fraud scheme

From the announcement

These weren’t just digital numbers on a screen; they represented my family’s savings, our future security, our dreams. I had planned to use that money to build a stable future for my [child]—[their] education, our home, our peace of mind. In an instant, it was all gone. Coming from a family whose parents came to this country with cheap plastic suitcases, and zero money, it was absolutely devastating . . . In an instant, that same American dream that my parents worked so hard to build, and continued through me, vanished.
, Victim

Investigating agencies

Federal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of InvestigationPolk County Sheriff’s OfficeFederal Bureau of InvestigationFederal Bureau of InvestigationUnited States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas

Case details

Prosecuting office
Northern District of Texas
Judge
Reed O'Connor, Chief U.S. District Judge
Cryptocurrency TheftMulti-Agency Law Enforcement CooperationMulti-Factor Authentication CompromiseRestitution And SentencingSim Card Swapping FraudVictim ImpactWire Fraud Conspiracy

Primary source

Every fact above is drawn from the Department of Justice's own announcement — a public-domain government record.

Read the original DOJ release →

This is a research and reference page compiled from public DOJ announcements, not legal advice. Details reflect the government's statements as of its release date and may not capture later developments such as appeals, dismissals, or overturned convictions. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.