Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to Using a Stolen Identity to Steal Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars from Banks and the Federal Government

FRESNO, Calif. — Brian Stoffel, 38, of Fresno, pleaded guilty today to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for using a victim’s identity to steal money from the victim’s bank accounts and get fraudulent loans in the victim’s name, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between September 2020 and August 2021, Stoffel obtained the personally identifiable information for an individual and used it to drain the victim’s savings and apply for loans in the victim’s identity. This included a Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) loan for disaster assistance related to a wildfire. Stoffel’s scheme resulted in a loss of $420,000. He used the proceeds for personal expenses, including to buy a new motorcycle and make purchases at retail stores.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Elder Abuse Unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton is prosecuting the case.

Stoffel is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on February 2, 2023. Stoffel faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and $1 million fine for the bank fraud charge and mandatory two years in prison, consecutive to other counts, for the identity theft charge. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.