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TALLAHASSEE - Attorney General Charlie Crist today announced that a Hillsborough County woman was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to identity theft. Sabrina Mae Ledbetter stole her sister’s identity and used the information to steal more than $21,000 over an eight-month period.

An investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement revealed that Ledbetter, 39, used her 41-year-old sister’s birth certificate, social security number and other identifying information to obtain a Florida driver’s license. She then leased a Clearwater apartment, bought a gym membership, applied for and received credit cards, opened a bank account and received a loan, which she used to purchase a vehicle also in her sister’s name. While still using her sister’s identity, she was arrested in Hillsborough County on a prostitution charge and pled guilty to using her sister’s name. Ledbetter was arrested in 2005 on the charges of identity theft and was prosecuted by Crist’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.

"Stealing another’s identity is bad enough, but stealing from a loved one is about as low as it gets," said Crist. "The judge issued an appropriate sentence for this crime."

Ledbetter pled guilty to criminal use of personal identification information, a first-degree felony that carries a three-year minimum mandatory prison sentence, as well as scheme to defraud, a second-degree felony. She was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by three years of probation and must make full restitution. The sentence was handed down yesterday by Pinellas Circuit Court Judge Timothy Peters.

A copy of the charges filed against Ledbetter is available at: http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/MRAY-6S9HMW/$file/Ledbetter_Information.pdf