A 46-year-old Orlando man was sentenced for access device fraud and identity theft in a luxury vehicle scheme involving Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a Cadillac Escalade.
U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced 46-year-old Sean White to five years and five months in federal prison for access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, between January and March 2016, White and two affiliates – Jamie Fort and Sena Howell – executed a scheme to defraud several Orlando-area financial institutions. As part of the scheme, White and Fort obtained names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of identity theft victims. They then used these stolen identities to create counterfeit State of Florida driver licenses.
White, Fort, and Howell then used the counterfeit driver licenses to obtain financing in victims’ names from federally insured banks. They purchased three luxury vehicles at Orlando-area car dealerships with this financing, including two Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a Cadillac Escalade. They then sold these vehicles for cash.
White and his affiliates also used the counterfeit driver licenses to obtain credit and make fraudulent purchases in victims’ names at various retail stores in the Orlando area. Evidence located at White’s residence included stolen personal identifying information of a number of identity theft victims, as well as a book entitled “How to be Invisible.” White eluded arrest for several years after being charged. He was located in 2023 and arrested, at which time he was living under the alias of another identity theft victim.
Howell was sentenced in March 2017 to two years and three months’ imprisonment for her participation in the scheme to defraud. Fort was sentenced in October 2017 to five years and five months’ imprisonment for his involvement in the scheme.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service and the Orlando Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Chauncey A. Bratt and Michael Sartoian. White pleaded guilty on April 10, 2024.
