Erie Man Charged with Using Another’s Social Security Number to Get Loans, Credit Cards
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 14, 2013 |
ERIE, PA—A resident of Erie, Pennsylvania has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Erie on charges of using a Social Security number assigned to another and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.
The 17-count indictment named Edward Phillips, 58, of Erie, Pennsylvania, as the sole defendant.
According to the indictment presented to the court, Phillips obtained and used a Social Security number that was not assigned to him to obtain various credit cards and loans.
The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 82 years in prison, a fine of $4,250,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Social Security Administration-Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.