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Woman gets three years for her role in identity scheme
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Like her co-defendant last week, Caprice Daye said she was a victim of the other as she was handed a three-year prison sentence for her role in an identity theft and fraud scheme.
Daye was sentenced Tuesday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on 18 felony counts of passing bad checks, forgery, identity theft, tampering with records and trafficking in a counterfeit controlled substance for her code of conduct between 2013 and 2014 with her then boyfriend, Mark Lett.
Lett was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison last week by Judge Shirley Christian for 16 felonies.
Last week at his sentencing, Lett placed the blame for his crimes on Daye. At her sentencing Tuesday before Judge Christian, Daye termed her conduct an “accident.”
“It was totally, totally a bad accident being involved with Mark Lett,” Daye said. “I made a big mistake.”
Judge Christian said the term “accident” bothered her because it showed she was not taking responsibility for her own actions.
“I don’t consider that to be an accident,” Judge Christian said. “You need to have some accountability for the identities you stole.”
“I never intended to hurt anybody,” Daye replied.
Last week, Lett told the judge he was a victim of Daye’s crimes. Tuesday, Judge Christian said Daye was doing the same thing only in reverse.
“The comments you make make me think like you’re a victim of Mark Lett,” Judge Christian said.
“I feel like I was a victim of him,” Daye replied.
Prosecutors said Daye and Lett were stealing identities and opening bank and credit card accounts in those names.
Assistant Prosecutor Martin Desmond said Daye cooperated a great deal once she was arrested and helped in the case against Lett and she has a minimal criminal record, but he added she deserved to go to prison because of the damage done and the long-term criminal activity that was taking place.
“This was not an isolated incident,” Desmond said.
Daye served about six months in the Mahoning County jail after she was indicted in the case last August and was released on bail. She was given credit for that time against her prison sentence.