Guilty Plea Keeps Wife From Jail

Facing charges that he relied on the use of stolen identities to finance the purchase of building materials for a sprawling Fresno-area home, Alfred Darnell Ford seemed like he was ready to go to federal court to do battle with U.S. prosecutors, The Fresno Bee reports.
 
That was before his wife, Renatta Carter-Ford, was indicted on charges that she knew about her husband’s scheme but failed to notify authorities. According to the newspaper, prosecutors verbally agreed to drop the single felony charge against Ford’s wife at his November sentencing under the condition he plead guilty to four charges related to the scam. Having since pleaded guilty, Ford faces up to 11 years in prison and a $1 million fine (this could be waived provided he pays victims restitution’ the plea agreement puts identity theft losses between $70,000 and $120,000).
 

Ford, 53 at the time of his indictment, and an accomplice, Donald Ray Jordan, 57, were charged in June, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice. Court documents allege the co-conspirators ran a sophisticated operation that relied on stolen identities to apply for fraudulent credit cards. The cards were used to purchase materials needed to build the 5,000-square-foot home in Sanger, California.

In June, authorities seized the home as well as construction materials, appliances, fixtures and electronics, according to the DOJ. The land belongs to Renatta Carter-Ford, a former clerk in jury services at the federal courthouse in Fresno. As part of his plea deal, Ford forfeited all rights to the house. Carter-Ford, however, is contesting the seizure, according to The Bee.


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