Franklin County trio sentenced for ID theft ring

ST. LOUIS, MO – A trio of Franklin County residents faced heavy penalties for a massive identity theft ring that spanned the Eastern District of Missouri. John Dean Townsend, Jessica L. Franklin, and Jesse Ray Chitwood have been sentenced for their roles in what police called a sophisticated scheme.

According to court documents, Townsend, while working at an automotive dealership in St. Louis County, stole his customers’ personal identification information and sold it to Franklin. In exchange, Franklin supplied Townsend with methamphetamine and U.S. currency.

Franklin then utilized the stolen info to create fraudulent Missouri Department of Revenue temporary driver’s licenses, which she and Chitwood used to establish credit lines and buy goods at various stores across the region.

Jessica L. Franklin, from Beaufort, MO, pleaded guilty in October 2016 to one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft and one count of aggravated identity theft. She was sentenced in January 2017 to serve 45 months in the Bureau of Prisons.

Jesse Ray Chitwood, of St. Clair, MO, entered a guilty plea in September 2016 for one count of conspiracy to commit identity theft. His sentence, also handed down in January 2017, calls for 24 months in federal prison.

John Dean Townsend, from Pacific, MO, was sentenced today to 13 months on one felony count of conspiracy to commit identity theft and access device fraud.

The defendants appeared before United States District Judge John A. Ross. The investigation was conducted by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in collaboration with local police departments, while Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Roy prosecuted the case.