NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Eric Charles Murray, 32, of Hampton, was sentenced today to 88 months in prison for his role in establishing and operating a high-tech credit card forgery lab in his home in 2016. Murray was also sentenced to five years of supervised release, which includes computer monitoring software on any computers Murray may have.

Murray pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank, mail, and wire fraud; aggravated identity theft; and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, on Nov. 15, 2016. According to court documents, Murray established a credit card forgery lab in his home in April 2016. Over a two-month period, he used Bitcoin currency to purchase stolen credit card information on the dark web, targeting information that belonged to Virginia residents. He and his conspirators then used the credit card forgery lab to place the stolen information on counterfeited credit and debit cards, which they had re-embossed in their own names and the names of others. Murray and his conspirators used these counterfeit cards to conduct unauthorized purchases of high-end electronics and cigarettes, which they then resold for cash in Hampton Roads and New York state. Murray was identified after two cardholders reported unauthorized uses of their cards to the Newport News Police Department. Surveillance images showed Murray purchasing items with counterfeit cards at multiple retail stores in Newport News. A May 2016 search of Murray’s home in Hampton recovered several items used to manufacture credit cards, 115 counterfeit credit cards, 233 stolen credit card numbers stored on a laptop, and two handguns—one of which had been previously reported stolen. At the time these items were recovered, Murray had been convicted of felony offenses, including a crime of violence, and his rights to possess a firearm had not been restored. After his arrest, Murray repeatedly attempted to obstruct the investigation and prosecution of his offenses by pressuring another individual to claim ownership and possession of the firearms found in his residence.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Joseph W. Cronin, Acting Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Michael B. Boxler, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Washington Field Division; Richard W. Myers, Chief of Newport News Police; and Terry L. Sult, Chief of Hampton Police Division, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin C. Gratton and Special Assistant Attorney Amy E. Cross prosecuted the case.