Identity thief, 34, gets 104 months in federal prison

A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced a Little Rock man who admitted stealing the identities of 31 people in 2012 to more than 8½ years in prison.

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Julian Calvin Dinnwiddie, 34, pleaded guilty in March to allegations that he possessed counterfeit checks and used other people's names and Social Security numbers in 2012 to obtain television services and a $6,000 loan.

Represented by attorney Steven Ray Davis, Dinnwiddie apologized Wednesday to U.S. District Judge Leon Holmes, saying, "I should have learned my lesson earlier. I don't have any excuse for what I did. It was wrong." He also apologized to federal prosecutors and "the people I stole money from."

While Davis asked Holmes to sentence Dinnwiddie to 42 months, or 3½ years, in prison, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jana Harris asked for a "significant sentence" of at least 10 years, noting that the identities of numerous people were stolen, causing them emotional trauma. She said several of the victims were elderly or were undergoing treatment for cancer, and one has since died.

Harris also noted that the crimes to which Dinnwiddie pleaded guilty began shortly after he was released from state custody and was on probation for a similar offense. She noted that between 1996 and 2012, he had "amassed" at least 10 hot-check charges, at least five forgery charges, two burglary charges, one attempted robbery charge and a handful of drug charges.

"That is a lot for someone who is relatively young at 34 years old," Harris said.

Davis told the judge that Dinnwiddie is smart and would easily be able to find a job and pay his restitution sooner if he was able to go free in just 42 months.

"As reprehensible as his crimes are, they demonstrate a meticulous attention to detail," Davis said. He also said he believes Dinnwiddie has "genuine remorse" for his actions.

Holmes cited Dinnwiddie's "numerous acts of dishonesty over a sustained period of time," and his direction of other participants in his crimes. He noted that Dinnwiddie's criminal history is "probably as extensive as I've seen in 10 years."

In April 2012, a woman who worked as a service representative at the Social Security Administration office in West Memphis admitted she had sold confidential information from the office to Dinnwiddie, who wanted it for criminal purposes. That employee, Leanna Brooke Morgan, was sentenced to two years' probation and ordered to pay nearly $3,000 in restitution.

In March, shortly before Dinnwiddie's trial was to begin, his co-defendant, Ambra Conway, pleaded guilty to a charge of aiding and abetting the manufacture of counterfeit checks. Charles Briscoe, an agent with the Social Security inspector general's office, said Dinnwiddie manufactured counterfeit checks in the apartment he shared with Conway, whom he had recruited. She was sentenced in June to two years' probation and was ordered to pay $360.71 in restitution.

On Wednesday, Holmes sentenced Dinnwiddie to 80 months for possessing counterfeit securities, to be served concurrently with 60 months for two counts of misuse of a Social Security number. He also sentenced Dinnwiddie to serve 24 months on each of two charges of aggravated identity theft, which he ordered to be served concurrently with each other and consecutively with the others, for a total of 104 months, or 8.6 years.

Holmes also ordered Dinnwiddie to make restitution of $28,148.42 to nine banks and stores.

Metro on 09/18/2014

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