Gregg County Man Sentenced for Identity Theft Scheme

TYLER � A 39-year-old Longview man has been sentenced to federal prison for conspiracy to commit identity theft. Benjamin Rojas pleaded guilty October 9. He was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison Tuesday in Tyler by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Rojas was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $20,293.93.

According to information presented in court, from January to May 2012, Rojas conspired with others to possess and use false identification documents and means of identification of others unlawfully. The scheme involved stealing mail from mailboxes in East Texas and using the information from the stolen mail to produce false Texas driver licenses, which appeared to be actual Texas temporary driver licenses. The fictitious driver licenses were used for identification when passing stolen checks, as well as counterfeit and forged checks, at various businesses in East Texas. Co-defendant Robin Watkins is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7.