BOSTON, Aug. 5 /EMWNews/ -- The following are the

prepared remarks of Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey for the Identity

Theft Press Conference:



    Good afternoon. I am joined here by Michael Sullivan, United States

Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, and Mark Sullivan -- I am

assured there is no relation -- Director of the United States Secret

Service.



    Earlier today, a grand jury here in the District of Massachusetts

returned an indictment charging a defendant with participating in a massive

identity theft case. This indictment is related to indictments unsealed

today in the Southern District of California, and other indictments brought

a few months ago in the Eastern District of New York. Together, we have

charged a total of 11 people, including residents of at least five

different countries, with various crimes relating to the theft and resale

of credit and debit card account information.



    So far as we know, this is the single largest and most complex identity

theft case ever charged in this country. The perpetrators are alleged to

have stolen more than 40 million debit and credit card numbers. They

targeted at least nine major retail corporations, including the TJX

Corporation, whose stores include Marshalls and TJ Maxx; BJ's Wholesale

Club; Barnes and Noble; Sports Authority; Boston Market; Office Max; Dave

and Busters restaurants; DSW shoe stores; and Forever 21. They used

sophisticated computer hacking techniques, breaching security systems and

installing programs that gathered enormous quantities of personal financial

data, which they then allegedly sold to others or used themselves. And in

total, they caused widespread loses by banks, retailers, and consumers.



    In just a few minutes, U.S. Attorney Mike Sullivan will talk about more

of the operational details of both the conspiracy and the investigation.

What I would like to do is to highlight a couple of points, and to praise

the many law enforcement agencies and people that played a part in this

case.



    First, this case highlights our increasing vulnerability to the theft

of personal information. Computer networks and the Internet are an

indispensable part of the world economy. But even as they provide

extraordinary opportunities for legitimate commerce and communication, they

also provide extraordinary opportunities for criminals. Where criminals are

able to breach computer security systems, as alleged here, they have

enormous ability to cause harm. Millions of Americans have had their

identities compromised each year. The annual costs to American citizens and

businesses are in the billions.



    Identity theft can involve a single criminal stealing the personal

financial information of a single victim or, as it did here, it can involve

a group of criminals stealing the credit card numbers of millions of

people, many of whom may not even learn that they were victims for months

or years. Identity theft victims suffer well beyond the immediate financial

costs; they suffer lost confidence in their privacy and security, as well

as the emotional strain and the time it can take to repair damaged

financial lives and credit histories. In many cases, the effects of these

crimes can be felt for years after they are committed.



    Consumers must have confidence that systems for electronic payment are

secure. To do that and to bring renewed attention and focus to this problem

generally, in 2006 the President established an Identity Theft Task Force.

The Task Force, which I chair along with the head of the Federal Trade

Commission, is comprised of 17 federal departments and agencies. In a

report issued last April, the Task Force provided several recommendations

to reduce identity theft and to wage a more effective fight against it.

These recommendations included improvement of data security in the public

and private sectors, enhancement of public education and prevention

programs, legislation to improve our ability to investigate and prosecute

identity-related crime, and improvement of international cooperation in

pursuing international identity theft operations. Since last April, we have

been working to put these recommendations into effect.



    The prosecution and punishment of identity thieves is a critical part

of the Task Force's strategy. And the cooperation among investigators and

prosecutors throughout the United States and around the world that led to

these indictments shows the promise of close coordination in tackling these

problems. Cases like this send a clear message to those who might be

tempted to abuse our computer networks to steal information and harm

law-abiding people and businesses: If you do, we will track you down

wherever you are in the world, we will arrest you, and we will send you to

jail.



    That leads me to my second point. This case is a reminder, if we needed

one, that computer crimes are not confined within national borders. The

people accused of carrying out this scheme worked out of several different

countries, and targeted retail operations without regard to jurisdiction.

That sort of international conspiracy is increasingly common. With the

worldwide reach of the Internet, criminals can now operate from almost

anywhere on the globe to steal personal information from our citizens. And

when they do, there are international online marketplaces where they can

peddle that stolen information.



    Because identity thieves easily cooperate across borders to place the

financial security of our citizens and financial institutions at risk, our

response also must be coordinated. We have been working with countries

around the world to identify and address technical vulnerabilities in

computer networks, and to ensure that laws and procedures are adequate to

deal with these kinds of crime. And we have been working closely with our

international partners to crack specific cases when they take us beyond our

borders. That's exactly what we did in this case. Without the close

cooperation in this investigation of law enforcement agencies around the

world, including those in Turkey and Germany, we would not be here today.



    Finally, I would like to thank all of the investigators, agents, and

prosecutors whose hard work made this case possible. These include members

of the Department's Criminal Division and its Computer Crime and

Intellectual Property Section; the U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the District

of Massachusetts, the Southern District of California and the Eastern

District of New York; the Internal Revenue Service; and the U.S. Secret

Service. Putting together a case of this size and complexity is no easy

task, and they have my admiration and my thanks.



    I would now like to turn the microphone over to U.S. Attorney Mike

Sullivan.