AG Moody's OSP Secure Prison Sentence for a Man Who Charged $62,000 to Senior's Credit Card Account

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution today secured a multiyear prison sentence for a defendant who used stolen personal information to defraud a senior out of nearly $62,000. James Fedrick previously pleaded guilty to organized fraud and unlawful use of personal identification information. Fedrick and a co-defendant, who is currently at large, used the victim’s PII to trick a bank into sending a replacement credit card to Fedrick—who then racked up thousands of dollars in charges.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “The defendant worked with an accomplice to unlawfully obtain a credit card. They then proceeded to rack up more than $60,000 in fraudulent charges on a senior’s account. Now, because of the diligent efforts of law enforcement and my Statewide Prosecutors, the defendant will spend years in prison and is being ordered by the court to pay more than $60,000 in restitution and fines.”

The co-defendant, posing as the victim, called the victim’s bank to report a lost credit card and to get a replacement. The bank granted the request after the security questions were correctly answered and sent a new card to Fedrick and the co-defendant’s address in Florida—although the victim has never lived in or visited the state.

From September 2018 to March 2019, Fedrick and the co-defendant made multiple transactions under the victim’s name and using the defendants’ address. There is security footage at various Walmarts and Sam’s Clubs of Fedrick, the co-defendant and another unidentified person using the fraudulent credit card to purchase random items and $200 or $500 gift cards per transaction. In the seven-month period, Fedrick and the group charged nearly $62,000 on the fraudulent credit card. The bank has since waived these fraudulent charges for the victim.

Following arguments by Attorney General Moody’s Statewide Prosecutors, a judge sentenced Fedrick to more than 40 months in prison, including a three-year sentence for fraudulent use of personal identifiable information over $5,000. Upon being released from prison, Fedrick will serve five years probation and pay more than $60,000 in restitution and fines.

Attorney General Moody’s Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Rebecca Smith-Hameroff prosecuted the case.