FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 26, 2007
SHAWN WESLEY WALTER WOLFE SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula, on October 26, 2007, before Chief U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, SHAWN WESLEY WALTER WOLFE, a 33-year-old resident of Bozeman, appeared for sentencing. WOLFE was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 70 months
- Special Assessment: $300
- Restitution: $4,985.96
- Supervised Release: 5 years
WOLFE was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On September 30, 2005, an individual reported that his wallet had been stolen from his locker at the PE complex on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman.
This individual subsequently received a call from a person claiming to be a Bozeman police officer stating that the wallet had been found and requesting the individual's Social Security account number and employment information. The individual's caller ID showed that the call from the purported police officer came from a Minneapolis, Minnesota area number.
The Bozeman Police Department confirmed for the individual that the wallet had not been found and that there was no police officer with the name used by the caller.
On October 2, 2005, WOLFE applied for a Zales Diamond credit card at the Zales jewelry store at the Main Mall in Bozeman. In applying for the credit card, WOLFE used the name and personal information of the individual whose wallet had been stolen from the PE complex on September 30, 2005.
Testimony and documentation would establish that WOLFE was able to use the individual's name and personal information to receive credit from Zales and purchase a ring and extended warranty in the total amount of $5,099.98 from the Zales store in Bozeman.
On October 2, 2005, WOLFE used the same individual's name and personal information to obtain $6,000 in credit from Riddle's Jewelry in Bozeman. WOLFE used the credit to purchase a ring.
The individual whose wallet was stolen from the PE complex at Montana State University did not give WOLFE permission to use his name or other personal information.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that WOLFE will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, WOLFE does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael S. Lahr prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
