Two from Georgia Sentenced in Court in Louisiana for Conspiracy to Use False or Counterfeit Passports to Steal Money

Louisiana – Two Georgia residents were sentenced in a federal court in Louisiana for using false or counterfeit passports to withdraw money from the bank accounts of victims whose personal information they stole, using bank branches in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Danielle Dorsett, 54, and her brother, Byron J. Laforest, 50, both of Atlanta, Georgia, were sentenced in a federal court in Louisiana on January 19, 2023, for conspiracy to use false or counterfeit passports.

According to documents filed in federal court, Dorsett and Laforest obtained counterfeit passport cards bearing the names and other details of victims whose personal identifying information they stole beginning in November 2021. While these cards contained personal information about the victims, they also included Dorsett's or Laforest's photograph. Dorsett and Laforest then used these cards to withdraw money from their victims' bank accounts. Dorsett and Laforest used the personal information of at least six people during the conspiracy to withdraw (or attempt to withdraw) funds from their accounts. They took money from bank branches in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

The program came to an end in early 2022. Dorsett was arrested on January 28, 2022, by Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office deputies while attempting to obtain a victim's bank statement at an IberiaBank branch in Harvey, Louisiana. Dorsett was released on bond following her arrest. On February 14, 2022, she and Laforest were arrested together at a hotel in New Orleans East by federal agents. Agents discovered several more false passport cards in the hotel room, which featured Laforest's photograph but contained the victims' personal identifying information instead.

United States District Judge Carl J. Barbier sentenced Dorsett and Laforest to time served, supervised release for three years, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Diplomatic Security Service's New Orleans Field Office in investigating this case. U.S. Attorney Evans thanked the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's Office for the 24th Judicial District for their assistance in this prosecution. The prosecution is led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew R. Payne.