Daytona Beach, FL – A Nigerian man takes a plea deal after he and his wife were charged with stealing people’s identity and spending thousands of dollars in their names with bogus credit cards.
28-year-old Charles Okafor will serve almost a year in jail and another 8 years on probation following his sentencing hearing Wednesday in front of Volusia County Judge Frank Marriott.
Spencer Hathaway – a spokesman for State Attorney RJ Larizza – says Okafor pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts and 2 misdemeanor counts, all related to identity theft and fraud.
“He is required to disclose where he obtained the victims’ information and pay for identity protection services for any victims that elect to make use of that service,” Hathaway added.
All other charges made against him by Larizza’s office have been dismissed as part of the deal.
Okafor – a Daytona Beach resident and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University graduate – is also required to pay back his victims and will be taken to Seminole County once he serves his prison sentence in Volusia to face fraud charges there.
The Daytona Beach Police Department arrested Okafor and his wife – 31-year-old Judienne Okafor – in March 2015 after he was booked in Seminole County Jail on fraud and grand theft charges.
According to DBPD, Charles called his wife at SCJ and ordered her to destroy incriminating documents. Detectives say she was in the process of burning those documents in a bathroom sink when DBPD raided their Integra Shores apartment.
Judienne remains free on $4,500 bail after she was charged with fraud, identity theft and evidence tampering.
Mugshots below are courtesy of Volusia County Jail.
Charles Okafor
Judienne Okafor
Copyright 2015 Southern Stone Communications.