Georgia thief Roderick Bates jailed four years for identity theft, wire fraud
A federal judge sentenced Roderick Michael Bates, 56, to over four years in prison.
Mr Bates pleaded guilty to identity theft and wire fraud for stealing from a local farm machinery and equipment business in Salemburg.
“This Georgia criminal chose poorly coming up here to steal from a local business in Sampson County,” said U.S. attorney Ellis Boyle. “Let this be a message to out-of-state criminals who think they can swindle the good people of the Eastern District of NC. We will find you, no matter where you are, and put you behind bars. Cheaters never win.”
Mr Bates used stolen identities with fake driver’s licences to secure financing for farm machinery and equipment from a local Sampson County business.
Using these identities, Mr Bates fraudulently purchased high-value items totalling more than $65,000, including a zero-turn mower, an Evolution D5 Ranger golf cart, and 12-foot and 16-foot dump trailers.
Mr Bates then had the business ship the items to him, hundreds of miles away, outside North Carolina.
The law enforcement officers arrested him during the delivery and recovered the stolen equipment.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Economy
EagleBank to pay $10 million over violations of Bank Secrecy Act
EagleBank entered into a non-prosecution agreement on Tuesday and agreed to pay $9.7 million to resolve the Justice Department’s investigation into violations of the Bank Secrecy Act.
NationWide
Nigerians warned against spreading Ebola misinformation
Nigerians have been warned against spreading misinformation about the Ebola virus disease, saying false claims could fuel panic and undermine disease control efforts.
Economy
Federal bottlenecks delaying Cross River grand littoral rail project: Commissioner
Mr Cobham, in an interview on Wednesday in Calabar, highlighted the ministry’s achievements and ongoing transportation reforms.
Abuja
Abuja: 13,000 civil servants sit FCTA’s 2025 promotion exam
FCTA and FCDA have begun the 2025 promotion examination for more than 13,000 civil servants across 150 cadres and grades.
Faith
Hisbah calls on Christians to be part of Kano mass wedding
The Kano Hisbah deputy commander, Mujahideen Aminuddeen, says that the Kano mass wedding is open to both Muslims and Christians who are interested.
Politics
ALGON begs Tinubu to stop Ondo APC chieftains from altering list of candidates
Gbenga Fasua, ALGON chairman in Ondo, also appealed to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress during a news conference in Akure on Wednesday.
