Atlanta Con Man Sentenced to 72 Months for Bank Fraud and ID Theft

Atlanta Man Lands 72 Months for Bank Fraud and ID Theft

A 35-year-old Atlanta man will spend the next six years behind bars for orchestrating a brazen bank fraud and identity theft scheme that swindled thousands of dollars from unsuspecting victims.

Rodrick Florence Jr., 35, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison after having previously pled guilty to bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Court documents reveal that between 2021 and 2023, Florence possessed the personal identifying information of over 7,500 individuals for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining money from their bank accounts. Florence worked with others to create fake identification and bank cards bearing real people’s information, which he and his conspirators used to access their account funds, including by making cash withdrawals and cashing counterfeit checks at various banks and credit unions across northwest Florida and the nation.

From Navy Federal Credit Union alone, Florence and his accomplices attempted to access the accounts of over 250 of its members and successfully obtained over $335,000 using those stolen identities.

Florence was sentenced to 48 months for the bank fraud conspiracy count to be followed by a mandatory consecutive 24 months for the aggravated identity theft count, for a total prison sentence of 72 months.

Others involved in the conspiracy were previously convicted in state court as part of this joint investigation. Freedom Prince Brown, 32, was sentenced to 48 months’ imprisonment after pleading to racketeering. Ridel Baptiste Michel, 33, was sentenced to time served (approximately 20.5 months’ imprisonment) after pleading to racketeering. James Matthew Spears, 60, was sentenced to time served (approximately 23.9 months’ imprisonment) after pleading to illegal use of personal identification information, grand theft, and possession of a forged driver’s license. Michelle Moore, 43, was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment after pleading to illegal use of personal identification information, grand theft, uttering forged bills or promissory notes, and possession of a forged driver’s license.

The sentencing of Florence sends a clear message that such crimes will not be tolerated. Law enforcement agencies involved in the case praised the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Florida and all involved agencies for their dedication to seeing justice served.

The investigation was a joint effort by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the Gulf Breeze Police Department, and the State Attorney’s Office for the First Judicial Circuit, with special assistance from the Navy Federal Credit Union Global Security Investigations team and the Carrollton (Georgia) Police Department. The federal case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia Forbes.