Man Pleads Guilty to Mail Fraud

United States Attorney W. Walter Wilkins announced that Otis J. Goodwin, Jr., 32, of Gadsden, South Carolina, pled guilty to one count of mail fraud. The Indictment charged that from about June 2006 through November 2007, Goodwin and his co-defendant Wendy Constance Evans, 45, of Columbia, opened checking accounts at a credit union using stolen identification information, including names and social security numbers. The pair allegedly opened the accounts to receive checks, which they intended to pass in the community. Evans pled guilty in December of 2008 to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Evans and Goodwin face 20 years in prison for each count of mail fraud, and a mandatory term of two years for each count of aggravated identity theft..

The case was investigated by agents of the United States Secret Service and is assigned to Assistant U.S. Attorney Deborah B. Barbier of the Columbia office for prosecution.