OCALA, Fla. — Jonathan Travis Pruitt, 46, from Ocala, has received a sentence of six years and three months in federal prison for bank fraud, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber sentenced Pruitt after he pleaded guilty earlier this year. Federal prosecutors stated that the scheme involved stealing checks from outgoing business mail and depositing them into fraudulent accounts.
Court documents reveal that Pruitt and his associates focused on checks issued by local businesses, subsequently creating fake entities with names resembling the original recipients.
Investigators stated that he created bank accounts using those names, deposited the stolen checks, and then withdrew the funds via ATM transactions.
Authorities said Pruitt was responsible for fraudulently depositing 36 stolen checks totaling more than $860,000.
When he was arrested, investigators reportedly found scans of stolen checks and photo-editing software on his phone used to alter the documents.
The United States Postal Inspection Service, in collaboration with the Ocala Police Department and the Belleview Police Department, conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William S. Hamilton prosecuted the case.
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