A fraud suspect has been sentenced to federal prison following a series of crimes targeting local banks.
Gary Dale Thrasher, 56, from Georgia, received a four-year and nine-month federal prison sentence for bank fraud, passport fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The court also ordered him to forfeit $25,200 as restitution for his crimes. Thrasher had pleaded guilty earlier this year.
Thrasher used or attempted to use fraudulent identification documents, including fake U.S. passport cards containing other individuals’ personal information. With these forged IDs, he made cash withdrawals from victims’ accounts at multiple branches of four federally insured financial institutions in Florida’s Middle District.
One incident occurred at Citizens First Bank at Magnolia Plaza, where Thrasher presented fake identification under an account holder’s name and withdrew $1,500, according to a Wildwood Police Department arrest report. The following day, the true account holder contacted the bank after noticing the unauthorized withdrawal. The bank confirmed the caller’s identity and alerted law enforcement. Wildwood police issued a bulletin and quickly received tips from other agencies identifying Thrasher as a suspect in similar cases. A bank teller later identified him in a photo lineup.
Days later, Thrasher withdrew $4,500 using another fraudulent ID at United Southern Bank on Main Street in Wildwood. Investigators discovered he had also withdrawn $8,200 the same day from Insight Credit Union on State Road 44, using a fake ID and impersonating another account holder.
“Identity theft is not a victimless crime, and these fraud schemes undermine trust in our financial systems while harming innocent people,” said David Pezzutti, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando. “HSI and our state and local partners in Florida remain committed to finding these fraudsters and holding them accountable.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, along with the Ocala Police Department, the Wildwood Police Department, the Leesburg Police Department, and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg prosecuted the case.