Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida
Jerelle George William Jones of Jersey City, New Jersey, and Quint Gasque of Charlotte, North Carolina, were sentenced to nine and a half years and six years in federal prison, respectively. Both had previously pleaded guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and forgery or false use of a passport. The sentencing was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“These defendants engaged in a sophisticated scheme to enrich themselves by defrauding financial institutions using stolen identities, but thanks to the outstanding investigative work of our local and federal law enforcement partners their scheme has been dismantled. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute these types of crimes to protect the members of our community from fraudsters like these defendants,” said U.S. Attorney Heekin.
Court records show that Gasque was recruited by Jones and others in February 2024 as part of a plan targeting customer accounts at financial institutions. The group used fraudulent identification documents such as counterfeit U.S. passport cards at banks and credit unions across the southeastern United States. In Escambia County, they obtained $2,600 through fraudulent means and sought more than $10,000 from multiple branches in Tallahassee.
On March 11, 2024, Gasque was apprehended after bank employees in Tallahassee alerted police when he attempted to withdraw funds while impersonating an elderly customer. Investigators found that the group had traveled through Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas carrying out similar schemes. A search of Jones’s phone revealed hundreds of images related to fake IDs and financial documents.
“This case is yet another example of the relentless work of the men and women of the Tallahassee Police Department, in partnership with our federal counterparts, to protect our community and remove those who seek to exploit it,” said Chief Lawrence Revell of the Tallahassee Police Department. “Thanks to the skill and determination of our investigators and all involved, we shut down a counterfeit operation that was targeting Tallahassee and the southern region.”
“The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is dedicated to identifying and investigating passport fraud and pursing criminals who exploit false identities to undermine national security and defraud victims,” said DSS Miami Field Office Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan McSeveney. “Protecting the integrity of U.S. passports and passport cards is vital to our nation’s security. Financial fraud tied to identity theft can devastate victims, causing severe economic loss and long-term harm. This investigation underscores DSS’s commitment to securing the U.S. travel system and shielding individuals from these crimes.”
Both Jones’s and Gasque’s sentences include five years’ supervised release following imprisonment; they were also ordered to pay restitution.
The case resulted from an investigation by both local law enforcement—the Tallahassee Police Department—and federal authorities with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one among 94 offices serving as principal litigators under direction from the Attorney General; more information about its work can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
