Brandon Lee Richards, 36, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced on April 28 to serve 60 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to making a false statement to a bank and falsely representing a Social Security number, according to a May 5 announcement by U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
Richards used another person’s identity and Social Security number when purchasing a vehicle from an Oklahoma City dealership on September 19, 2024. He had previously been convicted of financial fraud offenses. On March 4, 2025, he was charged by a federal grand jury with making false statements and using someone else’s Social Security number during the transaction. Richards admitted his actions in court on October 30, 2025.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Charles Goodwin cited Richards’ prior convictions for similar crimes as well as the seriousness of the offense before imposing the five-year sentence and three years of supervised release.
According to public records referenced in court documents, Richards has prior felony convictions including uttering and possessing counterfeited securities (Western District of Oklahoma case CF-16-188), uttering forged instruments (Cleveland County District Court case CF-2008-1278), attempting to obtain property under false pretenses (Oklahoma County District Court case CF-2010-6286), and second-degree forgery (Oklahoma County District Court cases CF-2013-2233 and CF-2013-2122).
The investigation was conducted by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Krista Hodges-Eckhoff prosecuted the case.
The Department of Justice recently announced the creation of its National Fraud Enforcement Division focused on investigating and prosecuting fraud against Americans as part of President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma enforces federal laws across its jurisdiction—which includes forty counties—protects citizens, defends national security interests, collaborates on community safety initiatives such as Project Safe Neighborhoods and Project Safe Childhood within the Department of Justice framework according to the official website.
