Serial Fraudster Sentenced To 46 Months In Federal Prison
GREENBELT, Md. (WJZ) -- A Baltimore man was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and for bank fraud resulting in losses of more than $373,000.
47-year-old Curlee Smittee Jr. committed the fraud while on pretrial release after pleading guilty to a previous federal fraud charge.
According to Smittee's plea agreement, from March 2013 through July 29, 2015, while on supervised release from a previous federal fraud conviction, he and his long-time partner, Douglina Rosa Battle, conspired to defraud at 15 banks and credit card companies.
According to his plea agreement, Smittee and Battle submitted fraudulent credit card and loan applications using false employment and earnings information, and false personal information, including name, address and social security numbers.
Once the cards and loans were obtained, Smittee and Battle used them primarily for personal spending, but also applied some of the funds to avoid or postpone default on other fraudulent loans or credit cards.
In all, Smittee and Battle obtained a total of 53 credit cards and personal loans from 15 banks and financial services companies, resulting in losses of more than $373,000.
Eleven of the credit cards were obtained by Smittee while he was on federal pretrial release after pleading guilty to a federal fraud charge, in violation of the requirement that he "not open any new lines of credit without prior approval of Pretrial Services."
Battle, 43, of Baltimore, also pleaded guilty to the fraud scheme and was sentenced to four months in federal prison.