ID Theft Nets 4 Decade Sentence

RELEASE

JACKSON—A Chickasaw County judge sentenced 38-year-old Kenneth Lamar Blakeney to 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to one felony count of identity theft, four felony counts of fraudulent use of identity, and one count of the sale of methamphetamine, announced Attorney General Jim Hood.

BLAKENEY

Blakeney, a Columbus native, entered a guilty plea Wednesday in open court and was sentenced by Chickasaw County Circuit Court Judge John Andrew Gregory to serve 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections with five years of post-release supervision. Blakeney was also ordered to pay fees and court costs.

Between November 2017 and January 2018, Blakeney converted numerous individuals’ personal information into credit cards, online checking accounts, and other financial instruments for his own gain. At the time of the crimes, Blakeney, who was residing in Chickasaw County, was on parole for drug related crimes and had been indicted for the sale of methamphetamine to undercover Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agents.

“This repeat criminal landed exactly where he deserves to spend the next 40 years,” said General Hood. “Thank you to DA Ben Creekmore for his prosecution, which led to a strong sentencing by Judge Gregory. This is the result of multiple agencies working together to take these scam artists off of the streets.”

If you suspect you have been the victim of this scam, or the intended victim of the scam, contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 601-359-4230 or 1-800-281-4418.

This case originated from a concerned citizen’s complaint to the Houston Police Department. The case was then investigated by AGO investigators Lee McDivitt and Caleb Tedder with the assistance of the Houston Police Department. It was prosecuted by Chickasaw County District Attorney Ben Creekmore.