Man jailed for identity theft
A Maryland man was sent to jail after he admitted that he used fraudulent identification to try to finance the purchase of a luxury vehicle from a Plymouth business.
Derran Delaney Hankins, 38, of Baltimore, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 11½ to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge of identity theft in connection with a February 2020 incident.
Judge Thomas C. Branca, who accepted a plea agreement in the matter, also ordered Hankins to complete two years’ probation following parole, meaning Hankins will be under court supervision for about four years.
An investigation began about 2:37 p.m. Feb. 7 when Plymouth police responded to Audi Service Conshohocken, along Industrial Way, for a report of someone attempting to purchase a vehicle by fraud, according to a criminal complaint.
A finance manager told police that Hankins arrived at the business and test drove a 2018 Land Rover vehicle valued at $49,350 and indicated he wanted to finance the vehicle, according to the criminal complaint. Hankins allegedly used another man’s identification to complete a finance application, which was immediately “red flagged” by several banks, according to the arrest affidavit.
The banks declined to finance the vehicle after being unable “to verify the applicant’s identity,” detectives said.
Around the same time, the victim, another Maryland man, was advised by his bank of the inquiry and immediately contacted the finance manager at the Plymouth business and advised that his identity had been compromised, according to court papers.
“Due to the red flags by the lenders, Hankins was unable to answer simple background questions. (The finance manager) believed Hankins was not being truthful regarding his identity and contacted the police,” Plymouth Detective Jeffrey McGee wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Hankins fled on foot and was taken into custody about a block away from the business. Found in Hankins’ possession was a counterfeit Maryland driver’s license in the victim’s name but displaying Hankins’ photograph, according to court papers.