Upshur County Couple indicted for identity theft in connection with CARES Act payments

GILMER — Two people from Gilmer will face time in prison for a scheme to take other people’s money distributed as part of COVID-19 financial assistance, a federal attorney said Tuesday. According to our news partner KETK, Emilee Fenton and Dalton Brewer, both 24, have both pleaded guilty to charges relating to fraudulently taking government money intended to help people struggling financially during the pandemic. According to the indictment, from at least November 2019 through June 2020, Brewer and Fenton conspired to steal other people’s identities as part of scheme to get government payments. Fenton and Brewer were indicted by a federal grand jury on Aug. 19, 2020, and charged with conspiracy to unlawfully transfer, possess, and use a means of identification. Fenton was also charged with theft of government money and aggravated identity theft. Brewer and Fenton each could face up to 15 years in federal prison.