Philadelphia Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Dead Person’s ID, Insurance Fraud

A Philadelphia County man has pleaded guilty to felony charges for stealing a deceased classmate’s identity and fraudulently using it to obtain a driver’s license, vehicle registration and insurance, and to apply for a concealed carry firearms permit, Attorney General Dave Sunday reported.

Sunday said Anthony Percell pleaded guilty in Philadelphia County Court to insurance fraud, theft by deception, identity theft, and forgery. Percell also was prosecuted federally for using the deceased classmate’s name and identification information to obtain a passport and airport access. Using the identity of the classmate — who died in 1986 — Percell also filed a workers’ compensation claim.

In accordance with a plea agreement, Percell will serve six to 23 months in prison, followed by seven years of probation. As part of the sentence, Percell is prohibited from using anyone else’s identity for any purpose, and must surrender materials and assets he obtained fraudulently.

“This defendant brazenly stole the identity of a classmate who died decades ago, and used that information to apply for a concealed firearms permit and other privileges, potentially putting the public at risk,” Sunday said.

Topics Fraud