United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

1100 Commerce St., 3rd Fl.
Dallas, Texas 75242-1699

Telephone (214) 659-8600
Fax (214) 767-0978

LOCAL WOMAN SENTENCED TO 42 MONTHS
IN FEDERAL PRISON, WITHOUT PAROLE, FOLLOWING
IDENTITY THEFT CONVICTION

Richard B. Roper, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, announced that Benita A. Jordan, of Grand Prairie and Dallas, Texas, was sentenced yesterday afternoon by the Honorable Sam A. Lindsay, United States District Judge, to 42 months imprisonment. Jordan, 46, who pled guilty in December to one count of fraudulent use of a credit card, has been in custody since her arrest in November on charges outlined in a federal indictment.

Jordan admitted that from March through December 2004, she fraudulently used three credit cards that she had fraudulently obtained and caused a total loss of $33,285.00. In one instance, she submitted an application to Citi Card Services for an AT&T Universal credit card, using the false identity and credit history of another individual. She also used the fraudulently obtained AT&T Universal credit card to pay for a $497.95 bill for photographs taken at a Glamour Shots store in Mesquite, Texas.

At yesterday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Lindsay noted that Jordan’s extensive criminal history all related to theft, fraud, and credit card abuse offenses. Judge Lindsay also stated that he considered a letter sent directly to Judge Lindsay from the identity theft victim of Jordan’s fraudulent use of credit cards. The victim, residing in Tacoma, Washington, detailed in her letter how her life was changed forever as a result of Jordan’s theft of the victim’s identity. In open court, Judge Lindsay referred specifically to the serious impact on such victims when he announced his decision to impose a 42- month sentence which was a more severe sentence than suggested by the federal sentencing guidelines.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Jarvis.

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