Waiter Convicted of Stealing Customer Credit Card Numbers

Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen’s Career Gang Unit obtained a twelve-year sentence against a career criminal who stole customer credit card numbers while working as a waiter at several west Knoxville restaurants. David Carroll Masoner, 46, was convicted of three counts of Identity Theft. In a sentencing hearing today, Judge Scott Green sentenced Masoner to serve twelve years in prison.

At today’s hearing, Assistant District Attorney TaKisha Fitzgerald explained to the Court that from 2010 to 2012, Masoner stole credit card numbers from dozens of customers he served while working as a waiter at several west Knoxville restaurants. When the patron paid for the meal by credit card, Masoner wrote down the name, number, expiration date, and security code of the cardholder. He would later charge fraudulent meals and tips to the credit card numbers, and he would purchase gift cards for other restaurants and retail stores on those cards. Agents with the Tennessee Highway Patrol Identity Crimes Unit, Drug Enforcement Administration, and United States Secret Service were able to uncover Masoner’s scheme. When they arrested Masoner, he was in possession of twenty-six stolen credit card numbers.

“Consumers should be aware that while credit cards can be convenient, they can also come with some risk,” said DA Charme Allen.”Check your statements regularly for unauthorized purchases and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement.”

Identity Theft is a Class D felony carrying a punishment between two and twelve years. Because Masoner has twenty-seven prior felony convictions, he received the maximum sentence of twelve years.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.