Georgia Man Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud, Passport Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft

OCALA, Fla. — A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville investigation has led to a guilty plea for a Georgia man for bank fraud, passport fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Gary Dale Thrasher, 56, Georgia, has pleaded guilty to five counts of bank fraud, three counts of passport fraud and seven counts of aggravated identity theft. Thrasher faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on each of the bank fraud counts, a maximum of 10 years of imprisonment for each of the passport fraud offenses, and a two-year minimum mandatory term of imprisonment for the aggravated identity thefts. Thrasher was indicted on March 27.

According to the plea agreement, between May and June 2023, Thrasher obtained and used, or attempted to use, fraudulent identification documents — including fraudulent U.S. passport cards — containing the identification of others. Thrasher used the fake documents as a means of identification to make cash withdrawals from multiple branches of four different federally insured financial institutions within the Middle District of Florida. As part of his guilty plea, Thrasher has agreed to forfeit $25,200 — the proceeds of the fraud offenses.

This case was investigated by HSI Jacksonville, the Ocala Police Department, the Wildwood Police Department, the Leesburg Police Department, and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.