Family of Counterfeits: SLP Man and Son Sentenced in Identity Theft Ring

A St. Louis Park man was sentenced to 25 years behind bars for his role in a multi-state counterfeit check and identity theft ring.

Joel Delano Powell, Jr., 47, was joined in the 14-state scam by more than 100 co-conspirators, including his 20-year-old son, Joel Delano Powell III of Minneapolis. The younger Powell was sentenced to more than three-and-a-half years in prison.

The Powells and other members created counterfeit checks and forged identification documents for their victims, buying expensive items at retail stores and returning them for cash. They also would pose as bank customers, withdrawing money from victims’ accounts.

Following a jury trial, Powell, Jr. was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, seven counts of aiding and abetting bank fraud and five counts of aggravated identity theft in September 2012. His son pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, and was given a reduced sentence of 42 months.

“Individuals who commit identity fraud of this magnitude deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” said Kelly R. Jackson, Agent in Charge in the IRS’s investigations department. “These individuals caused immeasurable hardship to innocent victims.”