Lavell Caradine, Vehicle Fraud, Missouri 2019

St. Louis, MO – In a shocking case of identity theft, a 35-year-old man from Florissant has been sentenced for his role in helping someone fraudulently purchase vehicles using stolen identities.

Lavell Caradine, a former employee of a Florissant car dealership, worked with Naquan Powers to buy three vehicles between June 24, 2019, and August 23, 2019. Powers used the personal information of others to buy and finance the vehicles, which included a Chevrolet Tahoe, a Chevrolet Impala, and a BMW 428. The vehicles were purchased with loans totaling $89,263.

According to a plea agreement, Powers texted Caradine the victims’ personal information ahead of time so he could confirm that Powers could use that information to make the purchase. Caradine used the dealership’s system to perform credit checks on the victims, but some of their identities were unusable due to being deceased or having credit frozen.

With Caradine’s help, Powers was able to buy the vehicles and even attempted to purchase a fourth vehicle, a Dodge Challenger, before being warned by Caradine that police were at the dealership. Caradine’s guilty plea to two counts of bank fraud was filed in February.

The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Klocke prosecuting the case. Naquan Powers, 27, of Hazelwood, is currently serving a 111-month prison term for his role in the vehicle purchases, as well as a credit card scam and pandemic fraud.

Caradine was sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay $89,263 in restitution. This sentence serves as a reminder of the seriousness of identity theft and the consequences of aiding and abetting such crimes.

As a community, it is essential that we remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities. The bravery and dedication of law enforcement agencies in pursuing these cases are crucial in bringing perpetrators to justice.

The case of Lavell Caradine serves as a warning to anyone considering involvement in identity theft or other malicious activities. The consequences can be severe, and it is never worth the risk.

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