ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An accused Central Florida identity thief who went on a three-month buying spree that racked up more than $100,000 in debt in her victims’ names has taken a plea agreement federal court, documents show.
Sena Howell was arrested in March while attempting to use another person’s information to purchase a $7,150 Rolex watch at Florida Mall, investigators said.
Using a fake driver’s license, Howell started her scheme in January when she fraudulently purchased a $47,000 Mercedes Benz from an Orlando dealership, a plea agreement filed Tuesday said.
Less than a month later, Howell pulled the same scam at a Maitland Mercedes Benz dealership, where she purchased a $36,000 car, court documents say.
She continued to snap up luxury vehicles about three weeks later, when she bought an $85,000 Cadillac Escalade in Orlando, investigators said.
During the same time period, Howell was opening up other lines of credit using stolen personal information.
She racked up a nearly $800 bill at an Ocoee Walmart; $1,700 at an Ocoee Best Buy; and $1,200 at Macy’s in Orlando, court documents say.
Howell was caught three days after buying the Cadillac when an employee became suspicious when she applied for a line of credit at Mayor’s Jewelers at Florida Mall.
She had picked out a $13,600 gold Rolex watch, but she was approved for several thousand dollars less, court documents say.
“Howell appeared happy to hear that she had been approved for the lower amount and immediately attempted to purchase a stainless steel Rolex priced at $7,150,” a criminal complaint in the case said.
Wary, the employee asked to see her driver’s license again to “finalize the purchase,” and noticed the birth date would make Howell decades older than she looked, the complaint said.
Pretending the store’s computer system was down, the employee had Howell fill out a sales receipt and told her to come back in a half hour.
When she left, the employee called the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded and arrested Howell when she returned to the store.
If her guilty plea is accepted by a federal judge, she faces a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a $250,000 fine.
Cox Media Group
