Chicago Man Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison for $1.5 Million Scheme to Obtain Two Dozen Luxury Vehicles Using Stolen Identities

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS- Alexander Weatherspoon, a/k/a “Tyler Simmons,” 28, of Chicago, Illinois, has been sentenced to 6 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making false statements.

According to court documents, from December 2017 to August 2019, Weatherspoon participated in a scheme using other individuals’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth, to finance luxury vehicles. Weatherspoon was able to obtain four Dodge Charger Hellcats and a Porsche Panamera GTS from dealerships in Miami, Florida, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Jamestown, North Dakota. Once the vehicles were purchased and delivered to Weatherspoon, he defaulted on the loans he took out in other’s names and either kept or sold the vehicles for less than retail value.

On August 27, 2019, FBI agents interviewed Weatherspoon about the scheme. During the interview, Weatherspoon lied to the agents about his identity and falsely stated he purchased one of the vehicles for $25,000. In fact, Weatherspoon used a stolen identity to finance the purchase from a dealer for $56,443.

In total, investigators found that Weatherspoon was responsible for securing $1,450,646 in fraudulent financing for 24 vehicles.

“For nearly two years, this defendant operated a nationwide scam—fleecing car dealerships and damaging the credit and security of innocent identity theft victims,” said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Zachary A. Myers. “Identity theft can cause lasting economic harm and shake victims’ sense of security in their financial lives. The defendant compounded his crimes by lying to investigators. This investigation and prosecution demonstrate that the FBI, USPIS, Social Security Administration, and our federal prosecutors will continue to unravel complex financial crimes and work together to hold fraudsters accountable.”

“This sentence clearly demonstrates the severity of the illegal activity the defendant perpetrated all in an effort to enrich himself at the expense of unwitting victims,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The FBI and our partners will continue to aggressively pursue swindlers who wreak havoc on the lives of others through identity theft.”

“By stealing the identities of consumers to obtain credit lines to purchase expensive vehicles, Mr. Weatherspoon’s criminal actions caused significant financial loss to individuals and businesses, as well as damaged the integrity of the Social Security number,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration. “Identity theft is not victimless, and this sentence holds him accountable for his harmful actions. I thank the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for their extensive work in this investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts in prosecuting this case.”

The FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge, Richard L. Young. Judge Young also ordered that Weatherspoon be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 2 years following his release from federal prison and pay $972,591.40 in restitution.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney MaryAnn Mindrum, who prosecuted this case.