Maryland Man Sentenced in Multi-Year Identity Theft and Fraud Scheme

A Brandywine, Maryland man was sentenced to over three years in federal prison following a years-long scheme involving identity theft, bank and wire fraud, passport fraud, and illegal firearm possession. Llyod Linwood Comer, 63, will serve 41 months in prison and an additional three years of supervised release, with seven months on home detention, after being sentenced by U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher.

According to court documents, Comer and his co-conspirator, Doreen Gilmore, 57, carried out the fraudulent activities between 2019 and 2021. Using stolen identities, the pair financed the purchase of high-value vehicles, including two Harley-Davidson motorcycles, a Ford Explorer, and a Coachmen RV, totaling over $144,000. They also fraudulently secured a $433,200 mortgage loan using the identity of Gilmore’s deceased mother to purchase a home in Brandywine.

Comer also obtained a fraudulent U.S. passport by using the identity of Gilmore’s deceased brother, which he used to travel internationally. On December 13, 2019, he used this passport to travel to Jamaica for a wedding. Authorities later uncovered extensive evidence of the fraud during a June 2021 search of the Brandywine residence, including identity documents from multiple victims and digital evidence supporting illegal firearm possession.

During the search, federal agents recovered 13 firearms and over 6,600 rounds of ammunition. Video evidence showed Comer handling and firing the weapons, despite being legally prohibited from possessing firearms due to a prior felony conviction. The court confirmed that Comer knowingly possessed the firearms and ammunition, all of which were manufactured outside Maryland and therefore subject to federal jurisdiction.

Gilmore had previously been sentenced to time served and three years of supervised release. Both defendants were ordered to pay $52,355 in restitution to affected businesses.

Article by multiple RFHC contributors, based upon information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland

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