⏱ 2 min read
Charles E. Poole III, a 48-year-old Philadelphia man, was sentenced to 69 months in prison for orchestrating a sprawling identity theft and bank fraud scheme that caused over $100,000 in losses to more than a dozen businesses and financial institutions in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The scheme, which lasted from February 2018 to February 2020, involved Poole and his co-schemers acquiring stolen personally identifiable information, including names, credit card information, and social security numbers, from elderly individuals and others without their knowledge or consent.
Poole then recruited ‘runners’ to pose as the victims and obtain loans, apply for credit, and purchase merchandise in the victims’ names. This was not Poole’s first brush with the law – he began the scheme while on supervised release from a prior federal conviction for bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
The sentence, imposed by United States District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl, includes five years of supervised release and victim restitution of more than $1 million. Poole pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit identification document fraud, and other charges in September 2023.
Poole’s 69-month sentence will run consecutive to the 32-to-64-year sentence he is currently serving for an unrelated attempted murder conviction in Delaware County. The sentencing brings an end to a complex and damaging scheme that exploited vulnerable individuals and caused significant financial harm to businesses and institutions in the Philadelphia area.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Defendant: bank fraud
- Location: PA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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