In a report from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Sean Lamont Wyatt, a 46-year-old Los Angeles County resident, admitted to a series of identity theft crimes, charges he committed from the confines of his federal prison cell. Wyatt's plea, entered today, includes admissions to identity theft and aggravated identity theft, adds U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.
Wyatt's scheme was unearthed when officials found 27 pages of victims’ personal data in his bunk at the Atwater federal penitentiary back in June 2021. Utilizing a contraband cellphone, Wyatt called banks and creditors, posing as the victims by providing their names, birth dates, addresses, and social security numbers to fraudulently gain access to their accounts and line his own pockets through boosted credit, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
This case, spearheaded by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, revealed the lengths to which Wyatt went to manipulate the system and illegally improve his financial standing while incarcerated. The prosecution of his case is currently under the direction of Assistant United States Attorney Brittany M. Gunter.
The sentencing date is marked for October 7, where Wyatt could face up to a 20-year stint in prison and up to $250,000 in fines for the identity theft charges, followed by a mandatory two years for the aggravated component. While statutory maximums loom, the court still holds sway on the final judgment, which will factor in the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and other variables, the U.S. Attorney's Office noted.
