Charlotte woman sentenced to nearly 5 years for identity theft, gun possession

CHARLOTTE — Jessica Bailey Sowell, a 32-year-old from Charlotte, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unlawful possession of a firearm, as announced by U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson.

Sowell’s sentencing includes five years of supervised release and an order to pay $47,190.25 in restitution.

Her criminal activities spanned from March 2023 to February 2024, during which she orchestrated an identity theft and bank fraud scheme using stolen personal information from multiple victims.

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The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson, with support from Jason Byrnes, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, Charlotte Field Office, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

According to court records, Sowell obtained personal identifying information through stolen mail, the internet, and other sources. She used this information to create fraudulent identification documents, which she then used at banks, hotels, and retail stores to acquire money and merchandise.

During the investigation, law enforcement discovered letters, bank cards, and checks belonging to at least 26 identity theft victims in Sowell’s possession.

A federal search warrant executed at a hotel room where Sowell was staying revealed hundreds of pieces of mail, store-tagged merchandise, journals with credit information, and multiple driver’s licenses with Sowell’s photograph and victims’ personal information.

Charlotte woman sentenced to nearly 5 years for identity theft, gun possession

Investigators also found a Taurus G3 9mm handgun in Sowell’s hotel room, which she was prohibited from possessing due to prior convictions, including a 2021 federal aggravated identity theft conviction and a 2015 state felony conviction for possession with intent to distribute MDA/MDMA.

Sowell pleaded guilty on August 5, 2024, to charges of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. She is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals and will be transferred to a federal facility.

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