RALEIGH, N.C. – A sophisticated fraud scheme involving synthetic identities and brazen abuse of the credit system has landed three North Carolinians facing serious federal prison time. Shawn Franklin, 48, Anthony Maryland, 48, and Sabrina Wiggins Branch, 39, all pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, a scheme that stretched for years and racked up significant losses for lenders.
Franklin, the alleged ringleader, began manipulating the system back in 2012, crafting “synthetic identities” – essentially, new credit profiles built using a combination of his own information and fabricated Social Security numbers, known as Credit Privacy Numbers (CPNs). He wasn’t just creating these for himself. Franklin exploited vulnerable individuals, specifically ten recipients of NC Medicaid, stealing their names and SSNs to build these fraudulent profiles. He even went so far as to create fake NC driver’s licenses bearing his own image but with the stolen identities.
The scheme wasn’t just about obtaining credit cards. Franklin maximized his ill-gotten gains by making bogus payments to credit issuers, temporarily restoring credit limits before the fraud was detected. This allowed him to quickly rack up further charges, a calculated tactic to bleed lenders dry. Maryland and Branch were complicit, utilizing the synthetic identities crafted by Franklin to obtain credit cards and consumer goods. Branch took it a step further, financing the purchase of two vehicles using the fraudulent CPNs.
But Branch’s involvement didn’t stop at personal purchases. She ran approximately $650,000 in fictitious charges through merchant accounts associated with her retail store in Wilmington’s Independence Mall. The pair operated like a well-oiled machine, with Franklin receiving his share of the proceeds in cash, meticulously withdrawing amounts under $10,000 to avoid triggering currency transaction reporting requirements – a clear indication of premeditation and an attempt to conceal their criminal activity.
All three now face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. However, Franklin’s crimes carry an additional, mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft, stemming from his exploitation of the NC Medicaid recipients. This consecutive sentence means Franklin could be looking at over 30 years behind bars. The case was investigated by a multi-agency task force including the FBI, Secret Service, Social Security Administration, and NC State Bureau of Investigation.
Acting U.S. Attorney G. Norman Acker, III, announced the guilty pleas following the acceptance by Magistrate Judge James E. Gates. Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan B. Menzer is prosecuting the case, promising a full accounting of the damage caused by this calculated and predatory scheme. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities haven’t ruled out the possibility of additional charges or co-conspirators being identified.
Related Federal Cases
- Markis J. Dickerson, Bank Fraud Conspiracy, VA 2024 · North Carolina
- Tanner Uffelman, Wire Fraud Conspiracy, Pennsylvania 2024 · Texas
- Karen Holtz, Identity Theft and Financial Fraud, Alexandria VA, 2023 · North Carolina
- Shawn Penn, Security Guard Impersonation, Maryland 2016 · Maryland
- Tamara Andreatta, Wire Fraud, GA 2017 · Georgia
Key Facts
- Agency: U.S. Secret Service
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Press Release
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