Houston man convicted of possessing fake access devices

A 43-year-old Houston man was convicted of possession of counterfeit or unauthorized access devices, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Wade Zollinger, 43, of Houston, Texas, pleaded guilty on November 13, 2023, and has now been ordered by U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr. to serve 63 months in federal prison. This will be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. The court emphasized its obligation to deliver a fair sentence on behalf of Zollinger’s victims while serving their sentences.

During his testimony, Zollinger admitted to fleeing from law enforcement in a stolen vehicle. After his arrest, officers found numerous pieces of false identification, including credit and debit cards, personal checks belonging to other people, counterfeit U.S. currency and license plates used to produce currency. Many books containing detailed personal information about other people were also discovered.

Further evidence was discovered when law enforcement executed a search warrant on Zollinger’s property. The investigation was conducted by the Secret Service, with assistance from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grace Murphy and James Hu.