Attempt to get passports with stolen IDs earns Fort Worth man federal prison time
Photo credit: RICHARD BOUHET/AFP via Getty Images
DALLAS - A Fort Worth man has been sentenced to federal prison for attempting to apply for two passports using stolen identities.
The man pleaded guilty to his charges last year and received 100 months in federal prison in his Wednesday sentencing.
Stolen ID Passport Sentencing
Phillip Sean Anthony, 42, first applied for a passport on Aug. 16, 2023, using a birth certificate and a debit card under an identity the U.S. Attorney's Office says he had stolen. After failing to receive that passport, he reportedly applied for another using a second stolen identity on Jan 2, 2024.
In a search of Anthony's home, investigators say they found numerous pieces of identification he had stolen and used to apply for passports.
Anthony was indicted in February 2024 for the federal offenses of making a false statement in an application for a passport and aggravated identity theft. He pleaded guilty in November.
On Wednesday, the U.S. prosecutor showed that Anthony had previously been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. During that prosecution, Anthony reportedly fled to California using a passport under a stolen identity, where he stayed for three years.
He was also shown to have been under indictment for sexual assault of a child during the 2023 and 2024 false passport applications.
What they're saying:
In handing down the sentence, U.S. District Judge Ada Brown described Anthony as a "prolific criminal mastermind" who has led a "life of con."
The Source: Information in this article came from the U.S. Attorney's Office.