Edward Anderton, a 2005 Penn alumnus who engaged in a massive identity-theft scam with his former girlfriend, will be sentenced today in federal court.
Anderton and his then-girlfriend, Jocelyn Kirsch, pleaded guilty this summer to the same charges. However, lawyers say that doesn't necessarily mean Anderton will receive the same sentence Kirsch did at her October hearing.
From September 2006 to November 2007, Anderton and Kirsch, a former Drexel University student, organized an identity-theft scheme in which they stole information from their family, friends and co-workers in order to open fraudulent credit card accounts.
Authorities say the couple, dubbed the "Bonnie and Clyde" of identity theft, ultimately stole about $119,000 from their victims and had intended to steal at least $122,000 more.
This summer, Anderton and Kirsch pleaded guilty to six charges, including money laundering, conspiracy and aggravated identity theft.
Kirsch was sentenced on Oct. 17 to five years in prison, five years probation and $100,000 in restitutions.
Penn Law professor Paul Robinson, who is not affiliated with the case, said the two partners in crime are not guaranteed to receive the same sentence just because they pleaded guilty to the same charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Lappen said there are significant differences between the cases of Anderton and Kirsch that will be evident in the sentencing.
At Kirsch's sentencing, witnesses were called to support the defense's argument that Kirsch was suffering from mental-health issues and consequentially should receive only a two-year sentence.
Kirsch had a troubled family situation and had been diagnosed with borderline and antisocial personality disorders, which the defense argued were mitigating circumstances.
Because Lappen doesn't expect to call witnesses in Anderton's sentencing, he said "it will be a lot less eventful" than Kirsch's sentencing.
Another difference between the two cases, Lappen said, is that Kirsch had committed additional crimes without Anderton in California last spring, following her arrest in Pennsylvania last November.
Because of those crimes, the prosecution argued that Kirsch should receive a sentence of five years and 10 months to six years and nine months in prison.
The prosecution only plans to push for Anderton to receive a sentence between four years, nine months in prison and five years, five months in prison, which is within the federal sentencing guidelines for his charges.
U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno, who is also Anderton's judge, gave Kirsch a lighter sentence than prosecutors requested because of her mental-health problems. Robreno also ordered Kirsch to receive treatment for her disorders while in prison.
Anderton's attorney, Lawrence Krasner, did not respond to requests for comment.
Due to an editing error, the original version of this article incorrectly said prosecutors would ask for a sentence of four years and nine months to five years, with five months of imprisonment, for Anderton. Prosecutors planned to ask for a sentence between four years, nine months in prison and five years, five months in prison.
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