RINGLEADER IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA IDENTITY THEFT SCHEME IS SENTENCED

SACRAMENTO--United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced today that TERRY LEE PARKER, 41, of Cottonwood, California, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Frank C. Damrell in Sacramento, California.

This case is the product of extensive combined investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and multiple law enforcement agencies in Northern California, including state and local authorities in Shasta County, Yuba County, and Sutter County.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rodriguez, who prosecuted the case, PARKER received a 75 month federal prison sentence for his execution and coordination of a scheme to manufacture checks with account numbers of others. PARKER and other criminal participants in the scheme stole identification and account number information from the U.S. Mail and elsewhere to create fraudulent checks. PARKER and his criminal associates -- including PARKER's wife, ROSEANNA MARIE GRAVEN, 34, also of Cottonwood, California -- used identity information to cash the checks. PARKER possessed special tools and devices which he used to create phony driver's licenses in various victim names in order to cash the checks. On May 10, 2007, when PARKER was arrested, PARKER possessed—in addition to his device making tools -- stolen U.S. Mail and more than 280 photo copies of valid driver's licenses for purposes of executing his scheme. PARKER and his criminal associates victimized over 50 individuals from Chico to Redding, California.

PARKER was additionally convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm. PARKER carried a loaded 9mm pistol at the time he engaged in the federal bank fraud and identity theft crimes.

As part of his federal sentence, PARKER was ordered to serve a minimum mandatory term of two years imprisonment for using identity information of another to commit bank fraud. PARKER had been previously convicted by state authorities for felony forgery, passing fictitious checks, and burglary on multiple occasions.

In the related case against GRAVEN, also prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rodriguez, GRAVEN pled guilty on July 30, 2007 to one count of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and a single count of possession of stolen U.S. Mail. GRAVEN is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10, 2007 by U.S. District Judge Damrell. GRAVEN is facing a minimum mandatory 2 year federal prison term for similarly using identity information of another to commit bank fraud.

After completion of his 75 month term of federal incarceration, PARKER will serve an additional 5 year term of supervised release. Further, he was ordered to pay full restitution to his victims. At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, PARKER was remanded for execution of his sentence