Cory Kott
The alleged mastermind behind a nationwide scheme to steal thousands of dollars by accessing victims’ cell phones has been ordered held in the Atlantic County jail.
Cory Kott, 35, of Mays Landing, faces 10 counts, including two second-degree charges of identity theft and second-degree computer crimes.
He was arrested May 29, after a nearly two-year investigation into thefts spanning several states.
Investigations in Texas and Colorado led to Kott and Omar Lopez, 45, of Atlantic City, with the FBI in Northfield bringing the case to State Police.
Kott allegedly led the “very complex and highly intelligent SIM-swapping scheme,” Assistant Prosecutor Despina Hess told the judge at Kott’s detention hearing Friday.
She listed 14 victims of the scheme that would begin with Kott allegedly transferring control of the victims’ phone numbers to a device in his possession.
That would give him access to everything on the phone, including email, Google accounts, Facebook, banking, Paypal, Venmo and other applications, Hess explained.
Kott even changed passwords and used the information he obtained to create driver’s licenses with his photo in exchange for the victim’s, according to the investigation.
He would then allegedly use those licenses to get more money.
Some of information also wound up going to the iCloud accounts of the victims, who were able to see not only Kott — and his distinctive neck tattoo — but would intermingle the victims’ information to one another’s accounts, according to Hess.
She listed several thefts from various sources, including hundreds in fraudulent charges to Kohl’s, Wawa and Boscov’s, along with PayPal and Venmo transfers of as much as $874.53. At least three victims had $1,000 or more stolen from them.
Kott reacted throughout his detention hearing, wiping tears and shaking his head often.Kott was struggling with a gambling problem and a methamphetamine addiction at the time, but has since gotten help, attorney John Bjorklund said, pointing out that he has not incurred any new charges.
One of the thefts was $600 to Draft Kings.
Kott was “forthright with the police,” Bjorklund said.
“This mastermind, as he’s referred to … this highly intelligent individual totally cooperated with them,” the defense attorney said. “I would hope that total cooperation may help in deterring other individuals from committing these types of offense.”
Hess painted a different picture, pointing out that Kott’s girlfriend and a man identified as the landlord said they did not know where he was May 29, when State Police came to his residence on Fairmount Avenue in Atlantic City.
His main charges have his address on Sherwood Road in Mays Landing.
Kott was found at the Atlantic City residence, after police got the man and woman “to step out of the way," Hess said. "(Kott) was located hiding in a small crawl space in the rear of the property.”
Bjorklund explained his client was fearful of jail.
He instead argued to have Kott released to a program for his issues with a plan mapped out in a letter a counselor sent to the court.
The public safety assessment, used to help determine whether someone is held pretrial under bail reform, recommended he be released on home monitoring.
But Hess said Kott is a danger to the local community — and beyond — with any release that would give him access to a computer.
She pointed out that he is a fugitive from Pennsylvania, with a conviction in a similar “device fraud” case.
Kott has seven previous indictable convictions, including burglary, terroristic threats and receiving stolen property. He also has seven prior domestic violence restraining orders, with two still active.
In ordering Kott’s detention, Judge Jorge Coombs pointed to 10 failures to appear, including an active bench warrant from Dec. 8, 2023.
Omar LopezThe co-defendant, Lopez, was released June 6. He faces four counts involving two victims.
Kott could be released to an inpatient detox facility on inmate status, the judge said.
