Third Defendant Pleads Guilty in Car Dealership Fraud Conspiracy
www.justice.gov, February 13, 2025
Jackson, Mississippi – A Louisiana man pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiring to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to use the stolen identities of others to purchase expensive vehicles in the Jackson, Mississippi metro area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in June 2023, David L. Jones, Jr., of New Orleans, Louisiana, and his coconspirators obtained the identity information of credit-worthy individuals, created false identity documents in the names of those individuals, and then posed as those individuals at automotive dealerships in order to apply for vehicle financing. Jones and his coconspirators submitted credit applications and purchased or attempted to purchase vehicles from dealerships in the Jackson metro area.
Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison and a maximum penalty of 22 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Two of Jones’s coconspirators, Paul Anthony Robinson and Sarah Elizabeth Calderon, have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Jones’s remaining coconspirators, Joshanique Elouise Bailey and Anna Waldei, are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Their cases are still pending trial. If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
“When we established Mississippi’s Cyber Fraud Task Force four years ago, we knew that more and more criminal acts would have a cyber element and that our expertise and resources would be increasingly in demand,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “And we are pleased to see the results of our work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and U.S. Secret Service in this case to put the brakes on this auto theft ring, put these criminals behind bars, and obtain justice for the people of Mississippi.”
Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi, U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Davis, and Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch made the announcement.
The United States Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office are investigating the case through their partnership in the Cyber Fraud Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly T. Purdie is prosecuting the case.