A Tulsa man admitted to one count of wire fraud on Tuesday in connection with a scheme to defraud a Bartlesville car dealership where he worked at the time.
William Ray Turner, 31, admitted in federal court in Tulsa to using another person’s identity without authorization to submit a loan application for a vehicle that was later transferred to someone else, who made payments to Turner.
Turner also admitted to receiving a commission for the sale of the 2019 Kia Sorento, which cost nearly $33,000.
“William Turner exploited his position when he stole an identity and used it to submit a fake loan application to purchase a vehicle,” US attorney Clint Johnson said. “He then illegally profited from the crime by receiving a commission and selling the SUV to a personal acquaintance.
“This U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to fully prosecuting white-collar criminals, like Turner, who defraud employers and the banking system.”
Turner pleaded guilty to just one of the 27 counts a grand jury returned in October, charging him with multiple counts of wire fraud and aggravated impersonation. The indictment alleged that Turner, while working at the dealership, used the stolen IDs of others across the United States to fraudulently purchase 27 vehicles at a cost of $1.2 million. dollars.
People also read…
Prosecutors agreed to drop the remaining charges at sentencing, if the judge accepted the plea deal.
Turner worked at the Patriot Chevrolet dealership from May 2019 to approximately February 2021, court records show. Restitution to the concessionaire will be required, the amount of which will be determined at the time of his condemnation.
The maximum legal penalty is 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or double the gain or loss caused by Turner’s actions.