Three Defendants Sentenced for Their Involvement in Identity Theft Ring

       Montgomery, Alabama – Patrick Rashaud Thomas (24) of Milledgeville, Georgia, Patience Denise Minor (51) of Phenix City, Alabama, and Shameka Lashay Thomas (27) of Sylvester, Georgia were sentenced in federal court yesterday for their involvement in an identity theft ring, announced A. Clark Morris, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama. Patrick Thomas was sentenced to 28 months in prison, Patience Minor received a sentence of six months in prison, and Shameka Thomas received three years of supervised release for her participation in the scheme.

       Over the course of two years, these three conspirators used the personal information of more than 30 victims to open up 87 fraudulent credit card accounts. They collectively stole more than $13,000, and gained access to over $75,000 worth of credit before being caught by law enforcement.

       The identity theft scheme was carried out by obtaining stolen personal identifying information and then using that information to apply for Capitol One credit cards under false pretenses. They would then direct those credit cards to be sent to addresses used by other conspirators. Patrick Thomas, who was aiding the other conspirators from inside a Georgia prison where he is serving time for unrelated felony convictions, would sometimes have proceeds from the credit cards placed on his prison commissary account.

       Patience Minor was on probation for insurance fraud at the time of this offense. Court records indicate that she used the fraudulent credit cards from this scheme to pay off some of her probation costs from her previous conviction.

       Acting U.S. Attorney Morris would like to thank the following entities for their assistance with this case: the United States Postal Inspector’s Service, and the Capitol One Bank, N.A. Fraud Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bradley Bodiford.