Springfield man sentenced for ID theft, counterfeiting

A Springfield man convicted in two cases of identity theft and counterfeiting was sentenced to more than four years in prison.

Bryan Thomas Ray received four years and three months in federal prison, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.

Ray, who pleaded guilty to the charges in January, stole checking account and personal information, which was used to produce counterfeit ID documents and bogus checks that were cashed or used to make purchases. He also passed counterfeit currency in Springfield, the release said.

Ray was caught when he attempted to cash a fraudulent check at a Springfield Staples store. The check was from a checkbook stolen from an Ozark home, but the Staples store clerk knew the ID theft victim and called police.

Law enforcement officials eventually seized 25 fake ID cards from Ray’s vehicle. Ray admitted that he and co-conspirators obtained $108,599 through the scheme, the release said.

In a separate case, Ray also pleaded guilty to passing $13,300 in counterfeit $100 bills. A co-conspirator in that case, Jason Allen Hamann, was sentenced in July to three years and 10 months in prison for manufacturing counterfeit bills.

In addition to his jail time, Ray also was ordered to pay $82,955 in restitution. The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and the Police departments of Springfield, Joplin, Rogersville and Branson.[[In-content Ad]]