Travis Lamont Phelps, Aggravated Identity Theft, Maryland 2014

Greenbelt, Maryland – A Greenbelt man has been sentenced to over 2 years in prison for using someone else’s identity and social security number to obtain credit and identification cards.

Travis Lamont Phelps, age 46, was sentenced to 25 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for misuse of a social security account number and aggravated identity theft.

According to his plea agreement, Phelps was wanted in North Carolina for trafficking Ecstasy. On January 8, 2014, when law enforcement went to Phelps’ apartment, he identified himself as Christopher James Williams and provided Virginia and Maryland identification cards, as well as a social security card in that name.

The date of birth on the identification cards and the social security number belonged to a real person who died in California in 1982.

Law enforcement interviewed Phelps, who admitted that he was not Christopher Williams and confirmed his identifying information, including his date of birth. Phelps knew that he was wanted on an outstanding North Carolina warrant and admitted that he assumed the Williams identity after researching possible alternate identities on the internet and determining that Williams was deceased.

Phelps obtained the Maryland identification card in the Williams identity on December 12, 2013, after providing the social security number card, a birth certificate, and other documents in the Williams identity.

Between 2007 and the time of his arrest in 2014, Phelps also applied for credit from numerous companies in the Williams identity. The total past due balance on those lines of credit at the time of his arrest was at least $5,480.

Phelps must pay restitution of $5,480. United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Maryland State Police for their work in the investigation and thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren E. Perry and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin for their prosecution of the case.

The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General and the Maryland State Police. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland prosecuted the case.

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