U.S. Department
of Justice
Press Release
Gulfport Man Pleads Guilty To Aggravated Identity Theft
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Mississippi
Gulfport, Miss. – Richard Terrell Jasper, 39, of Gulfport, Mississippi, pled guilty in U.S. District Court today to aggravated identity theft, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Special Agent in Charge Gabriel L. Grchan of IRS Criminal Investigation.
Jasper pled guilty to one count of the indictment in which he was charged with knowingly using, without lawful authority, the means of identification of another person, that is, the name and social security number of another person, during and in relation to the felony of theft of government funds. The theft of government funds involved numerous income tax refund checks that the defendant obtained and deposited into his bank accounts. The refunds were issued based on fraudulent income tax returns filed using unknowing victims’ names and social security numbers.
Jasper is scheduled to be sentenced on July 29, 2014, before United States District Judge Sul Ozerden. He faces a minimum mandatory term of imprisonment of two years, and a $250,000 fine.
This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ruth Morgan.
If you believe you have been a victim of fraud from a person or an organization soliciting relief funds on behalf of storm victims, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud toll free at:
(866) 720-5721
You can also fax information to:
(225) 334-4707
or e-mail it to:
Updated January 7, 2015
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