Frankfort man, woman charged with bank fraud, identity theft

Published 2:15 pm Friday, May 10, 2024

A federal grand jury in Louisville has returned an indictment charging a Frankfort man and woman with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of bank fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft.

According to the indictment, from May 2021 to December 2022, Kendrick C. Brown, 33, and Brooke R. Williams, 33, both formerly of Louisville, unlawfully obtained money and property totaling over $130,000 from a federally insured financial institution.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky says the couple utilized several business entities they created to obtain commercial lines of credit. Using lines of credit issued to “Kendrick Brown Properties, LLC,” “BBS Tax Services, LLC,” and “Little Brown People, LLC,” Brown and Williams funded personal expenditures on items such as jewelry, salon visits, high-end clothing, dining out and thousands of dollars in retail gift cards.

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As they approached and exceeded the limits on the commercial lines of credit, the two made a series of fraudulent transactions that appeared to be automated clearinghouse (“ACH”) payments on the accounts. In making these fraudulent transactions, Brown and Williams used account numbers for closed accounts and accounts belonging to other people. These fraudulent transactions temporarily freed up more credit on the accounts so the pair continued to make fraudulent purchases.

Brown and Williams made their initial court appearances Wednesday before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. If convicted, each of them face a maximum sentence of 120 years in prison followed by a mandatory minimum 24 months in prison for identity theft.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case was investigated by the FBI. No word on when Brown and Williams will have their next court date.