Omaha Woman Sentenced for Methamphetamine and Identity Theft

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Sheila Likness, 44, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Omaha by Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon to 72 months’ imprisonment for Possession with Intent to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine (Actual), Sale of a Card Purporting to be a Social Security Card, and Aggravated Identity Theft. There is no parole in the federal system. After her release, Likness will serve a 5-year term of supervised release.

From October 11, 2019 to December 17, 2019, Likness and Thomas Povondra engaged in a scheme to provide a police officer working in an undercover capacity with personal identification documents with a name and personal identifying information that had been obtained off the dark web.  On October 11, 2019, Povondra drove Likness to meet with the undercover officer at a Starbucks location in Omaha. During that October 11, 2019 meeting, Likness informed the undercover officer that she could and would sell him identification documents such as a fake driver’s license, social security card, birth certificate, passport and secondary forms of identification such as a YMCA card for $4,000. Likness stated that she obtains the identification information off the dark web. She also claimed that these documents would be able to pass scrutiny from law enforcement if the undercover officer came into contact with law enforcement.

Likness met with the undercover officer on October 31, November 5, and November 11, 2019. During these meetings, Likness sold the undercover officer 13.37 grams, 22.52 grams, and 25.08 grams of methamphetamine (actual). During these meetings, Likness discussed the progress on the identification documents that she had promised. At the November 5, 2019 meeting, Likness received $1,750 as a down payment for the documents. On November 21, 2019, Likness sent the undercover officer a picture of a passport in the name of Victim 1 with Victim 1’s date of birth.

On December 3, 2019, Povondra met with the undercover officer in the area of 153^rd and Q Streets in Omaha. Povondra gave the undercover officer a blue plastic folder, which had documents purporting to be a Social Security Card, a birth certificate, a high school diploma, and high school transcripts in the name of Victim 1 with Victim 1’s personal identifying information such as date of birth and Social Security Number. Povondra discussed the progress of the passport with the undercover officer and the status of its production. Povondra also received an additional $100 from the undercover officer for the delivery of the documents.

On December 17, 2019, a search warrant was executed at the residence shared by Likness and Povondra in Omaha. Numerous computers, a credit card scanner, blank ID and credit cards, laminate material, blank checks, and papers with the identifying information of other individuals were located. Following the December 17 search warrant, Povondra provided a laptop belonging to Likness to a third-party that had not been found by law enforcement during the search warrant. Povondra told the third-party to place the contents of the laptop on the external hard drive and then destroy the laptop.

Povondra was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment on November 9, 2020.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Omaha Police Department, the Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General, and the United States Department of State-Diplomatic Security Service.