Federal prosecutors have secured a guilty plea from Hasan Korkmaz, 45, owner of San Diego Logistics Group Inc. in Santee, California, in connection with a $2.1 million credit card fraud and identity theft scheme.
On October 15, 2026, Korkmaz admitted to all 18 counts of bank fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft in federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California.
Scheme Details
Korkmaz obtained personally identifiable information including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers belonging to nearly 100 people during 2022 and 2023. He used this information to create fraudulent credit card accounts at two banks.
The scheme followed a pattern known as a credit card bust-out, in which fraudsters establish seemingly legitimate accounts in other people's names and then maximize the credit line with no intention of repaying the balance.
Korkmaz ran up large balances on the fraudulent cards through purchases at his own business and other merchants, with some individual charges reaching $18,500. He temporarily restored available credit by making fraudulent payments using checks drawn on accounts with insufficient funds or non-existent accounts, then used the cards to accumulate additional charges near their maximum limits.
The fraud caused more than $2.103 million in losses to the two banks.
Money Laundering and Arrest
Korkmaz laundered the proceeds by transferring money overseas to a bank account in Turkey that he controlled. After carrying out the scheme, he fled to Turkey, where he remained for 18 months before returning to the United States. He was arrested in June 2025.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 8, 2027, before Judge James E. Simmons Jr.
