Pensacola, Florida – Marcus Bernard Clark, 30, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to fraudulent possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices and aggravated identity theft. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This successful prosecution was made possible thanks to the excellent investigative work of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, and now this fraudster will spend time in federal prison. Those who seek to enrich themselves by preying upon and defrauding others should be warned that my office will ensure they see the inside of a federal prison cell.”
Court documents reflect that in September and October 2022, the defendant worked at a Wendy’s restaurant in Destin, Florida. During a judicially authorized extraction of the defendant’s cell phone related to another criminal case, law enforcement discovered over 200 photographs and some short videos of different individuals’ credit and debit cards. Investigators determined the photographs were taken at a Wendy’s fast food restaurant while the defendant was working. None of the victims gave permission to the defendant to photograph their bank cards containing their names and card numbers.
“Those who prey on others by stealing their personal and financial information should know that we will always take these crimes very seriously,” said Okaloosa Sheriff Eric Aden. “Our investigators and our counterparts are totally committed to pursuing offenders and making sure they’re held accountable.”
The case was investigated by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of Florida — U.S. Department of Justice press release.