United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg has announced that Coretta Bates, a 31-year-old resident of Atlanta, Georgia, has entered a guilty plea to charges of aggravated identity theft. Bates is facing a mandatory sentence of two years in federal prison, though the date for sentencing remains undecided.

The plea agreement outlines that on April 18, 2023, Bates opened an account at a credit union using the name "SLD." To do so, she presented a counterfeit North Carolina driver's license featuring her photograph but with "SLD's" personal information. The credit union approved the application and issued a credit card under "SLD's" name with a $20,000 limit.

Between May 9 and July 7, 2023, withdrawals totaling $75,700 were made by "SLD" through interactive teller machines from the checking and savings accounts at the credit union. These funds were obtained under false pretenses by utilizing another person's identity without permission.

An investigation conducted jointly by the U.S. Secret Service and Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office discovered multiple accounts opened in different names by the individual shown in the "SLD" driver's license during this period. They reached out to the actual "SLD," who confirmed no involvement with opening any accounts or contacting the credit union. The fraudulent activities resulted in actual losses of approximately $165,117 for the credit union.

The United States Secret Service led this investigation with support from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Jay L. Hoffer is handling prosecution duties for this case.