Jamaican jailed for identity theft in US

CMC - A Jamaican man has been jailed for two years in the United States for identity theft, according to immigration officials.



On Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said Lynval Thompson was sentenced to two years in a US federal prison and one year of supervised release for “aggravated identity theft.”



Officials said he will be deported to Jamaica after he completes his prison sentence.



ICE said that after comparing arrest records and fingerprint samples, US special agents determined that the Thompson had impersonated another man, Cory Howard, who was living in North Carolina in 2011.



According to ICE while reviewing his credit report, Howard realised that an unknown person in the state of Florida had opened a Wells Fargo bank account using his personal information.



After investigating the matter, Howard learned that the bank account was associated with a Tampa, Florida address, and he contacted the Tampa Police Department for assistance.



The immigration agency said a Tampa Police Department detective then embarked on an investigation.



Using ATM transaction videos and the address associated with the Wells Fargo bank account, the detective tracked down Howard's impersonator via a traffic stop.



When the detective analysed both licenses, ICE said the images on the licenses bearing both Cruz and Howard's name appeared to be the same person.



ICE said the driver of the vehicle also appeared to be the same person in the ATM videos.



Tampa's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents on searching immigration records and working with law enforcement entities in Jamaica and the US Virgin Islands eventually identified the impersonator as Thompson.



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