JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man accused of falsely claiming to be a former member of the U.S. Army has been convicted of identity theft, bank fraud, false representation of a Social Security number and mail fraud, the Department of Justice said Friday.
According to the DOJ, in 2014, Anthony Johnson, 52, used the Social Security number of two victims, including a lawyer from Seattle, to open a bank account, obtain a loan and multiple credit cards from United Services Automobile Association. He then withdrew thousands of dollars from the USAA bank account for his own use, officials said.
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After he got a Florida driver's license under the identity of a Texas doctor, the DOJ said Johnson got two fraudulent loans that totaled more than $148,000 from Bankers Healthcare Group, LLC and had the money wired into a TD Bank business account in the name of a false medical data company that he had incorporated in Florida.
He then used the same identity to get two more loans from Springleaf Financial Services, which he wired to the same bank account, officials said.
The DOJ said Johnson set up a personal bank account in the victim's name and began funneling money from the business account into the personal account, which he then began making large cash withdrawals from to buy luxury items, including a $70,000 Mercedes Benz.
Officials said during the same time, Johnson used the identity of a fourth victim to get an apartment and then got another Florida driver's license under the identity of a fifth victim.
The DOJ said with money from his fraudulent activity, Johnson left the United States and traveled to Dubai in June and July 2016, when he spent more than $4,000 at a club/restaurant, stayed at high-end hotels and purchased expensive personal items.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Marshals Service tracked Johnson down and arrested him July 11, 2016, for violation of supervised release as he entered the United States at Orlando International Airport. He's been in federal custody since that time.
Johnson now faces up to 30 years in prison for each of the nine counts of bank fraud, up to 20 years in prison for each of the three counts of mail fraud, up to five years in prison for each of the seven counts of falsely representing a Social Security number, up to three consecutive years in prison for violation of supervised released and a mandatory penalty of two years in prison for each of the nine aggravated identity theft charges. Johnson's sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.