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Largo Man Gets Prison For Bank Fraud, Identity Theft

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By THOMAS W.  KRAUSE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 16, 2008

TAMPA - A 41-year-old Largo man was sentenced Tuesday to 16 1/2 years in prison on federal bank fraud and identity theft charges.

His girlfriend was sentenced last week to more than seven years in prison for her part in the scheme. Both had pleaded guilty.

According to court documents, Isaac K. Allen and several co-defendants defrauded Fifth Third Bank, BB&T, Bank of America and other financial institutions by using other people's names to apply for credit cards and lines of credit. In all, Allen and his co-defendants are suspected of stealing more than $150,000.

In February, Allen opened a bank account at a BB&T in Palm Harbor using someone else's name and private information, court records show. He deposited $80 in a savings account, $20 in a checking account and applied for a $2,000 line of credit and $10,000-limit credit card.

When federal investigators contacted the man whose name was on the account to ask why he had not repaid an outstanding debt of $11,492, he told them he had not opened a BB&T account.

Further investigation showed that Allen and his girlfriend, Tara Pasco, used a false name to rent a private mailbox from a store on South Howard Avenue in Tampa. Information from the Palm Harbor BB&T account was sent to the box.

Video surveillance from an ATM in Sarasota showed Allen withdrawing money from the account he opened in Palm Harbor, court documents show.

Reporter Thomas W. Krause can be reached at (813) 259-7698 or tkrause@tampatrib.com.

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