Bank fraud, stolen identities send Billings man to prison for more than three years

BILLINGS  — A Billings man who admitted to using stolen bank cards and identities to make purchases around Billings was sentenced today to three and a half years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Jeremy Ray Fisher, 37, pleaded guilty in June to bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court also ordered $4,439 restitution.

“In Billings, it has become far too common for people like Fisher to steal credit cards, as well as others’ identities, to go on spending sprees around Billings at the expense of law abiding citizens.  And almost without exception, these criminals, like Fisher, are abusing drugs.  He has rightfully earned a significant prison sentence for his actions, where he will join others we have previously prosecuted for similar conduct, and we will be unwavering in our pursuit of those who seek to follow in Fisher’s footsteps,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

“The defendant in this case stole identities and money from the victims and he is deserving of the sentence.  This type of crime is reprehensible and causes significant losses and damage to the victims.  The Billings Police Department, along with our partners, will be diligent in our investigations involving ID theft and fraud.  Similarly, this sentence reflects the seriousness that the U.S. Attorney’s Office views these cases, and I thank them for their continued support,” Billings Police Chief Rich St. John said.

In court documents, the government alleged that in August 2022, a victim, identified as Jane Doe, notified the Billings Police Department that a bank credit card had been stolen from her vehicle and used by someone earlier that day to make purchases around Billings. Jane Doe received fraud alerts from her bank notifying her that some purchases had been declined but two were successful. One of the successful transactions was made at a Cenex Zip Trip. An investigation identified Fisher on video surveillance as pulling up to the store, getting out of the passenger’s seat, entering the store and paying for an item and then driving away. Fisher later admitted to using stolen credit cards to make purchases and admitted to doing so at the Zip Trip. The government further alleged that Fisher had prior felony convictions and uses methamphetamine. When arrested, he was found to have stolen power tools, stolen coolers and the identification cards of multiple people.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Hargrove prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation.

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