Shawn D. Gover Sentenced in Deceased Child Identity Theft Scheme

Shawn D. Gover, a 47-year-old Henrico man, has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for one of the most brazen identity theft cases in recent Virginia history. Gover stole the identity of a child who died decades ago, then used it to steal $33,557 from his employer and illegally purchase a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol.

Court documents reveal that in 2013, Gover legally changed his name to Aaron Garth Roberts—the name of a boy born in 1974 in Denton, Texas, who died before reaching childhood. Along with the name, Gover appropriated Roberts’ Social Security number and date of birth in a calculated bid to erase his own criminal past, including a prior felony conviction for Grand Theft that landed him 16 months behind bars.

Under the stolen identity, Gover landed a high-trust position in March 2016 as Director of Finance at Independence Golf Club in Powhatan. With access to financial records, the operating account checkbook, and a corporate credit card, he began systematically looting the club. From fall 2016 to summer 2017, he siphoned off exactly $33,557—funds intended for operations, payroll, and maintenance.

The scheme spiraled further into federal crime territory on November 13, 2016, when Gover used the Roberts identity to purchase a Sig Sauer .45 semiautomatic pistol. As a convicted felon, he was strictly prohibited from owning any firearm. The purchase triggered a paper trail that eventually unraveled his entire web of lies, drawing in federal investigators from the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The case was announced after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson in Richmond. Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, alongside Brian J. Ebert of the Secret Service and Thomas L. Chittum III of the ATF, confirmed the outcome. Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Maguire handled prosecution, building a case that exposed the depth of Gover’s deception.

Court records, including Case No. 3:17-cr-133, are publicly accessible via the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the PACER electronic filing system. The case stands as a grim reminder: stolen identities aren’t just numbers—they belong to real people, even those taken too soon.

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