Jessica Bailey Sowell, a 32-year-old resident of Charlotte, has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for charges including bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unlawful possession of a firearm. This was announced by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Following her prison term, Sowell will undergo five years of supervised release and must pay restitution amounting to $47,190.25.
The announcement was supported by Jason Byrnes, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Charlotte Field Office, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD).
Court records reveal that between March 2023 and February 2024, Sowell orchestrated an identity theft and bank fraud scheme using stolen personal identifying information (PII) from various victims. The PII was obtained through stolen mail, the internet, and other sources. Sowell used this information to create fraudulent identification documents which she utilized at banks, hotels, and retail stores to acquire money and merchandise.
During the investigation, law enforcement discovered letters, bank cards, and checks belonging to at least 26 identity theft victims in Sowell’s possession. A federal search warrant executed at a hotel room where Sowell was staying led investigators to seize two suitcases containing hundreds of pieces of mail with different names and addresses; store-tagged merchandise; handwritten journals with credit information; and multiple driver’s licenses featuring Sowell’s photograph but bearing victim details.
In addition to these items, investigators found a Taurus G3 9mm handgun embellished with sequins on its barrel during their search. Due to prior convictions—a 2021 federal aggravated identity theft conviction and a 2015 state felony conviction for possession with intent to distribute MDA/MDMA—Sowell is prohibited from possessing firearms.
On August 5, 2024, Sowell pleaded guilty to charges including bank fraud and aiding and abetting aggravated identity theft as well as possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. She remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals until transferred to a designated federal facility under the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
The case was investigated by the Secret Service along with CMPD with assistance from both the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms Explosives while Assistant U.S Attorney Michael E Savage prosecuted it on behalf of Charlotte’s US Attorney’s Office.
