A man from Daytona Beach received a 25-year prison sentence last week for stealing the identity of a comatose individual from Texas, as reported by the State Attorney’s Office.
On Monday, officials from the SAO revealed that a 40-year-old man from Daytona Beach, Donald Wood, had appropriated the identity of a comatose individual in 2021, utilizing the personal details to secure loans for multiple vehicles.
“Furthermore, he hacked into our victim’s bank account and tried to refinance his own house with this information he fraudulently obtained,” the release reads.
In 2022, officials from the SAO initiated an investigation into the case and reached out to the victim’s family, as explained by SAO representatives.
Investigators revealed that the family found themselves locked out of their bank account and faced bills from multiple financial institutions, including a fraudulent hospital bill amounting to $3,000.
“Additionally, Wood and his accomplices applied for credit under the victim’s name in the amount of $75,000,” the release adds.
In the end, authorities reported that they successfully linked these events to Wood, while also uncovering multiple other victims from various locations throughout the United States.
Consequently, Wood faced arrest in April 2022, prompting further investigations into him and his associates regarding these matters.
In addition to that, SAO officials revealed that an investigator named Diego Besse dedicated his efforts to assist the Texas man and his family in overcoming the identity theft situation.
“(Besse) has written letters and personally called numerous credit card companies, bank entities, car dealerships and insurance companies to provide proof to ensure the family’s fraudulent financial liabilities were removed and their assets and credit reinstated,” SAO officials explained.
On September 27, Wood admitted to the following offenses:
- Organized scheme to defraud over $50,000
- Fraudulent use of personal identification information of a specified individual — 14 counts
- Fraudulent use of personal identification information — 3 counts
- Tampering in felony second-degree proceeding — 2 counts
- Mortgage fraud
Reference: ClickOrlando