Robert Thompson was given the prison time after using the personal and financial information of more than 61 individuals, churches, businesses and financial institutions. In one case, those involved in the thefts tried to steal $20 million from a particular bank account.
The sentence is the longest handed down for white-collar crimes in the history of the Middle District of Louisiana.
Thompson is not the only thief to be sentenced as of late when it comes to stealing information. In an unrelated case, Max Vision, formerly known as Max Butler, was given 13 years for stealing 1.8 million credit and bank card numbers. Along with the years in prison Vision was ordered to pay $27.5 million to the lending institutions he stole from.
Given the prevalence of identity theft, consumers should keep an eye out on their credit reports and be careful to whom they give their personal information.