ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Monday sentenced a man who committed identity theft, check fraud and pandemic fraud to 42 months in prison and ordered him to repay $77,360 to his victims.
For over three years, Darryon M. Sutherlin, now 29, engaged in a series of frauds and financial crimes, including filing a fraudulent application for COVID-19 pandemic relief funds, check fraud and the use of stolen identities to obtain loans and credit. His crimes continued even after he was indicted.
On May 26, 2022, Sutherlin used the stolen identity of a New Jersey resident to finance a $25,850 loan for a 2016 BMW. Sutherlin also used the New Jersey man’s name, Social Security number and a fake ID to obtain a personal loan of $8,500 and two credit cards.
On Dec. 7, 2022, Sutherlin deposited two stolen and altered U.S. Treasury checks, totaling $10,436, into his personal bank…
Never share a One-Time PIN (OTP) with anyone over the phone, including people claiming to be bank officials, as legitimate employees will never ask for this code to “verify” your identity.