Charlotte Woman Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years for Bank Fraud and Identity Theft

Jessica Bailey Sowell of Charlotte was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for orchestrating a bank fraud and identity theft scheme involving multiple victims over nearly a year. Her criminal activities involved using stolen personal information acquired from sources including mail theft and online data to create fraudulent identification documents.

These were then used to illegally obtain money and merchandise from banks, hotels, and retail outlets. Law enforcement investigations uncovered extensive evidence such as victim mail, bank cards, fraudulent driver’s licenses, and detailed records of stolen credit information. In addition to identity theft and bank fraud, Sowell was found in unlawful possession of a firearm, a Taurus G3 9mm handgun, despite her prior felony convictions prohibiting such possession.

These prior convictions included a 2021 federal aggravated identity theft conviction and a 2015 state felony drug charge. Upon pleading guilty in August 2024, she was ordered to pay restitution of over $47,000 and to serve five years of supervised release following incarceration. This case highlights ongoing challenges in combating identity theft and fraud, underlining the need for robust security measures by financial and retail institutions to protect customer information and prevent criminal exploitation.