Tampa, Florida – In a shocking case of identity theft, Douglas Edward Bennett, a 77-year-old Clearwater man, has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for assuming another’s identity and committing various crimes while using that identity. Bennett was also ordered to pay a fine of $200,000.
According to court documents, Bennett was convicted of several violent felony and sex offenses in 1975, including robbery, kidnapping, sexual contact, rape, and two counts of deviate sexual intercourse, in the state of Connecticut. He was sentenced to 9-18 years in state prison but never surrendered to begin serving his sentence. Instead, he assumed the identity of Gordon Ewen, who had died in 1945, and lived under that identity for more than 40 years.
In 2016, Bennett submitted a passport application using the name, date of birth, and Social Security number of Gordon Ewen and failed to disclose his true identity. He was arrested on November 4, 2020, on federal charges and a warrant from the State of Connecticut. A fingerprint comparison confirmed that Bennett was the same person convicted in Connecticut in 1975.
During the search of Bennett’s home, investigators discovered handwritten notes detailing the first time he used Ewen’s identity and details on how he obtained Ewen’s identification documents. They also found five firearms and nearly five thousand rounds of ammunition, which as a convicted felon, Bennett is prohibited from possessing.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General, with substantial support from the Department of State’s National Passport Center, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Connecticut U.S. Marshals Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit.
“The sentence in this case sends a strong message: The Diplomatic Security Service is committed to ensuring violent criminals who commit identity theft to evade justice face consequences for their actions,” said Peter Kapoukakis, Special Agent in Charge of the DSS Miami Field Office.
Bennett will serve his federal sentence before being transported to Connecticut to serve a 9-18 year state sentence. The case is a reminder of the importance of vigilance in preventing identity theft and the consequences of evading justice.
Defendant: Douglas Edward Bennett, Exact Criminal Charges: assumption of another’s identity, applying for a passport in that identity, and possessing firearms as a convicted felon, City and State: Tampa, Florida, Exact Date: September 30, 2021, Sentence or Outcome: 22 years in federal prison and a fine of $200,000, Dollar Amounts: $200,000
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Violent Crime|Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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