ST. LOUIS, MO – Bryson Whiteside, 24, of St. Louis is headed to federal prison for nearly four years after admitting to a sprawling fraud scheme that included helping a jail inmate cover his tracks and using stolen identities to fuel his criminal enterprise. U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp handed down a sentence of three years and eight months on Wednesday, along with an order to pay $8,735 in restitution.
The case against Whiteside unraveled after investigators discovered him holed up in a St. Charles motel on May 4, 2021. Inside, they found a mobile counterfeiting operation: scanners, laptops, and a trove of stolen financial records and personal identifying information. Whiteside intended to use this stolen data to produce counterfeit checks and fraudulently obtain credit cards, authorities say.
But the fraud extended beyond simple financial gain. Whiteside pleaded guilty in March to use of a counterfeit access device, aggravated identity theft, two counts of possession of counterfeit securities, and possession of a stolen vehicle. The investigation revealed he’d been communicating with Samuel Stoddard, a pretrial detainee at the Jennings jail, using a stolen identity and a fake ID. Stoddard allegedly tasked Whiteside with removing incriminating evidence from a storage facility, a request Whiteside fulfilled using *another* person’s identity.
The scheme didn’t end with the evidence retrieval. After Stoddard’s release from jail – a release made possible, in part, by Whiteside’s actions – he violated a judge’s order and fled Missouri. Whiteside met him in Kentucky, where Stoddard allegedly gifted him a stolen car, complete with counterfeit Illinois plates and a registration card bearing Whiteside’s name and picture. It was a brazen attempt to disappear, and Whiteside willingly played a part.
Whiteside isn’t the only one facing consequences. His co-defendant, Ashley Kelley, 30, of St. Ann, received a three year and one month prison sentence last month for her role in the operation. Stoddard, the alleged mastermind, is scheduled to be sentenced in September after admitting to a series of crimes revolving around stolen and fraudulent identities. The case was a joint effort by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Missouri Department of Revenue.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Berry prosecuted the case, bringing to light a complex web of deceit and criminal collaboration. The sentence handed down to Whiteside serves as a warning: exploiting stolen identities and aiding fugitives won’t pay, and the long arm of federal law will eventually catch up.
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Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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