Florida man gets 25 years in prison for impersonating comatose Texas man

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Florida. — A Daytona Beach man was sentenced to 25 years in prison last week after impersonating a comatose Texas man, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

In a statement released Monday, SAO officials announced that the Daytona Beach man – Donald Wood, 40 – stole the identity of the man in a coma in 2021, using the personal information to take out loans for several vehicles.

“Additionally, he hacked into our victim’s bank account and attempted to refinance his own home with this fraudulently obtained information,” the statement said.

In 2022, SAO investigators began investigating the case and contacted the victim’s family, SAO officials explained.

However, investigators said they discovered the family had been locked out of their bank account and had received bills from “numerous financial institutions,” including a fake $3,000 hospital bill.

(EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos)

“In addition, Wood and his accomplices requested a credit in the victim’s name in the amount of $75,000,” the statement added.

Ultimately, investigators said they were able to trace these incidents back to Wood, although they also identified several other victims across the United States.

As a result, Wood was arrested in April 2022 and additional investigations were opened against Wood and his accomplices in connection with these cases.

But that’s not all: SAO officials also announced that one of their investigators – identified as Diego Besse – worked to help the Texas man and his family recover from the identity theft.

“(Besse) wrote letters and personally called numerous credit card companies, banking entities, automobile dealerships and insurance companies to provide evidence ensuring that the family’s fraudulent financial debts were removed and their assets and their credit has been restored,” SAO officials explained.

On September 27, Wood pleaded guilty to the following charges:

• Plan organized to defraud more than $50,000

• Fraudulent use of a specified person’s personally identifiable information – 14 counts

• Fraudulent use of personally identifiable information – 3 counts

• Tampering in a second degree felony proceeding – 2 counts

• Mortgage fraud

Receive today’s headlines in minutes with Your daily life in Florida: