July 15, 2009
Media Contact: Jenn Meale
Phone: (850) 245-0150
Final Member of North Florida Identity Theft Ring Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
TALLAHASSEE, FL - Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that one of the leaders of an identity theft fraud ring was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Ronnie Bright pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering charges in a case prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.
Bright, 37, was part of an ID theft ring that operated in North Florida. The group frequently broke into vehicles and stole personal identification information from the vehicles’ owners, including credit cards, check books, and identification cards. The ring then wrote fraudulent checks at Wal-Mart, Lowes, Belks, Office Depot, and other various stores throughout Florida. Authorities believe the ring was responsible for stealing over $100,000 and victimizing more than 50 victims.
Bright and his co-conspirators were arrested in 2007 after a joint investigation by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Bright is the last of the co-defendants to be sentenced for his participation in this ring. Previously sentenced were Charles Mills, 33, of Jacksonville, sentenced to 30 years in prison; Tameka Holcomb, 32, of Jacksonville, sentenced to six years in prison; and Dionne Gamble, 32, of Jacksonville who was sentenced to over five years in prison.