Man Sentenced for Serial Lower East Side Identity Theft: Bragg

One of the more bizarre identity theft stories in recent downtown history reached its resolution when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. recently announced the sentencing of Elhadji Sene, 34, to seven years in state prison with five years of post-release-supervision for stealing the identities of multiple individuals, making unauthorized purchases, and possessing weapons and stolen credit cards between December 2023 and April 2025.

On November 25, 2025, Sene pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, and one count of Identity Theft in the First Degree.

If Sene’s 60-count indictment, which Bragg announced on September 11, 2025, was somewhat overlooked because 9-11 anniversary, it was nonetheless a doozy. Among the felony charges were Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (three counts); Identity Theft in the First Degree (four counts); Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument (one count); Criminal Possession of Stolen Property (23 counts); Grand Larceny (two counts); Identity Theft in the Second Degree (two counts); and Attempted Grand Larceny (one count).

“Elhadji Sene was sentenced to significant time in state prison for stealing the identities and hard-earned money of countless individuals and for unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm. I hope today’s sentencing sends a message that people who steal the identities of vulnerable New Yorkers will be held accountable,” said District Attorney Bragg. “If you are a victim of identity theft, please call us at 212-335-8900.”

According to court documents, statements made on the record, and as admitted in the defendant’s guilty plea, between December 2023 and March 2025, Sene targeted intoxicated individuals in the early morning hours on the Lower East Side by taking their phones and wallets in order to steal their identities.

In February 2024, Sene used a stolen phone to gain access to a victim’s cryptocurrency accounts and purchased more than $30,000 worth of cryptocurrency. Sene used a portion of those funds to make unauthorized retail purchases and transferred a portion of those funds to his own cryptocurrency account.

In January 2025, Sene used a stolen phone to make more than $10,000 of unauthorized purchases using a second victim’s financial accounts.

In March 2025, he used a third victim’s stolen credit cards to make more than $3,000 of unauthorized purchases on his accounts.

On the morning of April 24, 2025, Sene was arrested in his car and upon an inventory search of the defendant’s vehicle, police discovered two pistols, 1 magazine, and 4 cartridges, along with 35 credit cards and 11 driver’s licenses not in Sense’s name, and 8 cell phones.

Sene’s guilty plea includes Criminal possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count; Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, one count; and Identity Theft in the First Degree, a class D felony, one count.

Department of Correction Records describe Sene as a Black male, 6’4”, 240 lbs. Presently on Rikers Island, Sene’s next scheduled court date December 31, 2028.