Sidney Hines is a 67-year-old man from New Port Richey who ran into some financial trouble. He was unable to pay his mortgage so he got a loan from HomeSaver Advance Loans. Unfortunately, when it came time to payoff the load Hines didn’t have the cash.
When the debt collectors started calling Hines decided to impersonate “US Senator R.D.” from Illinois. During the time of the impersonation, the Senators from Illinois were Richard “Dick” Durbin and Mark Kirk.
The “Senator” adamantly claimed the Hines loan was paid in full. After making this claim five times, law enforcement was able track Hines down and arrest him.
If Hines had pretended to be a regular person, it would probably have been a run of the mill identity theft charge. However, since Hines impersonated a US Senator he was charged with five counts of impersonating a federal officer or employee.
The sentence for this crime is up to 15 years in prison.
Regular identity theft penalties in Florida can range anywhere from a year in prison for a misdemeanor to 40 years for felony identity theft charge.
Identity theft happens by fraudulently using, or possessing with the intent to fraudulently use, someone else’s personal identifying information without consent of the owner.
Thanks to several technological advances, identity theft is the fastest growing crime. Lawmakers and courts are aggressively trying to stifle identity theft. If you’ve been charged with identity theft call the lawyers at Bauer Crider Kenny & Parry.