Columbia man accused of financial identity fraud, sentenced to 10 years in prison

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — A Columbia man was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Circuit Court Judge in connection with financial identity fraud said the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Solicitor’s Office.

Akeem Davon Hampton, 38, was convicted on Thursday, Oct. 26 by a Lexington County jury about the fraud charge.

He is accused of depositing a forged check into his personal Navy Federal Credit Union Account on Sept. 13, 2021.

Investigators say the $10,000 check was written by the original owner of the check to pay his tax bill and placed into his mailbox that afternoon.

The next morning the bank notified the victim the check cleared, said investigators.

Law enforcement says the check was discovered to have been made out to Akeem Hampton who the victim does not know instead of being made out to his name.

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department was able to confirm the check had been deposited into Hampton’s bank account using his mobile banking app.

Detectives say they were able to determine the original check was washed and deposited within a couple of hours of the victim placing the check into his mailbox when the victim was able to produce a carbon copy of his original check.

During the course of the investigation, Hampton gave conflicting stories to investigators about how he got the check but confirmed he deposited the money into his account.

The solicitor’s office said Hampton’s prior criminal record includes convictions for shoplifting, financial transaction
card thefts, financial transaction card frauds, forgeries, drugs, giving false information to police, and possession of a stolen vehicle.