David Henry Anthony, 38, has been sentenced to a total of 111 months in federal prison without parole – 87 months for access device fraud to be followed by a mandatory 24 months for the aggravated identity theft conviction.prison for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft. The prison terms are to be followed by a three-year-term of supervised release. Additionally, the court has ordered Anthony to pay $143,794.27 in restitution to 21 different victims which include individuals and financial institutions. Anthony pleaded guilty to both counts in March 2009.
The investigation leading to the charges against Anthony was initiated in January 2008 by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) after the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Financial Crimes unit had received a complaint from one individual about his identity having been stolen and credit card fraud seeming to be connected to a number of fraudulent change of address orders. Through further investigation, USPIS inspectors identified a number of victims and identified Anthony as the culprit. Anthony would divert victim’s mail to addresses he controlled and by using the victim’s identities, he would apply for and was approved for at least 60 credit cards, using various names, 19 different forms of identification and affecting at least 17 victims. Anthony used the credit cards and fraudulent forms of identity to make purchases including jewelry without authorization at various merchants.
In July 2008, Inspectors executed a federal search warrant at Anthony’s purported place of business on Tidwell Road and his residence on Maxey Road – both addresses had been used in the identity theft scheme to redirect victim’s mail. The search resulted in the discovery and seizure of multiple identification documents in various victim’s names containing a photo of Anthony, credit cards, statements, account activity notes, transaction receipts as well as credit reports and other similar documents relating to the various unauthorized charges made by Anthony.
Numerous individual victims were identified in connection with this case. Two of those victims addressed the court during the hearing and expressed the personal, emotional and physical strains they had endured as a result of the theft of their identity by this defendant.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas