Columbus man sentenced to 3 years in prison in identity theft case

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A Columbus man has been sentenced to three years in federal prison for falsifying identity information, including Social Security, numbers over a six-month period.  

According to Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, DeWayne Foster, 39, of Columbus, used the alias “Thomas Walker” along with false Social Security numbers to apply to rent apartments, purchase vehicles and obtain credit cards and personal loans, starting in 2018.  

Among his purchases using a fake or stolen SSN included: 

• Rental on a two-bedroom townhome in Sunbury, Ohio, for $1,570 per month 
• A vehicle loan for nearly $26,000 
• A lease for an apartment in Powell, Ohio, for approximately $25,000 
• Application for a second, $41,000 auto loan 
• Obtained a personal credit card with a $2,000 limit  
• Application for a $15,000 loan 

One of the Social Security numbers Foster used was stolen from a child born in 2007. 

Foster is currently serving an eight-year sentence in Union County for local narcotics crimes and will serve 12 months of his federal sentence after he is released from local custody, according to Parker.  

Foster was also ordered to pay more than $16,000 in restitution to the victims he defrauded in his federal case.