Two Men Indicted For Conspiracy, Bank Fraud, And Aggravated Identity Theft

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury returned an indictment on July 7, 2020, charging two men with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, 13 counts of bank fraud, and 1 count of aggravated identity theft. The indictment was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The indictment charges Isaleb Anofils, 31, of Vero Beach, and Donyell Garland, 32, of Tallahassee. It alleges that Anofils and Garland conspired to defraud federally insured financial institutions between January 1, 2018, and April 9, 2018. Specifically, the indictment alleges that the two men used a combination of cell phone apps and various internet websites to obtain personally identifiable information on nine individuals. Anofils and Garland then allegedly used that information to make fraudulent cash withdrawals from ATMs at their victims’ financial institutions. In total, it is alleged that Anofils and Garland fraudulently obtained or attempted to obtain approximately $151,000 in funds to which they were not entitled.

Both men face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud counts, and an additional 2-year mandatory minimum prison sentence, consecutive to any other sentence imposed, for the aggravated identity theft count.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the United States Secret Service. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen is prosecuting the case.

A jury trial for Garland is scheduled for August 24, 2020, and Anofil’s jury trial is scheduled for September 28, 2020.  Each defendant will be tried before the Honorable Chief United States District Judge Mark E. Walker at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.