A former social media influencer who once boasted of being a 'con artist' has been handed a substantial prison sentence for orchestrating a sophisticated fraud that stole $1.5 million in COVID-19 disaster loans.
From Rikers Island to a Florida Fraud Spree
Danielle Miller, the daughter of prominent New York lawyer and former state bar association president Michael Miller, was sentenced on Monday to 16 years in a Florida state prison. This follows her guilty plea to 38 counts of fraudulently using personal identification information.
Prosecutors detailed that Miller travelled to Sarasota, Florida during the pandemic with an acquaintance, Ciera Blas, whom she met while incarcerated at New York's notorious Rikers Island. Her previous conviction was for using stolen credit card details at a luxury spa. Once in Florida, she embarked on a new crime wave, using stolen identities to defraud banks across the state.
A Lavish Lifestyle Funded by Crime
Miller's scam unravelled when an alert bank manager contacted the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. Upon her arrest, deputies found a trove of evidence including three fake driver's licences with her photo, multiple credit cards, six mobile phones, and $25,000 in cash.
Her fraudulent activities were extensive. Investigators said she communicated with individuals in countries like Nigeria to buy personal data obtained through mail theft and phishing. She used this information to create credit reports, driver's licences, and bank accounts in victims' names.
Miller then shamelessly funded a life of luxury. She secured an Economic Injury Disaster Loan for over $102,000 in August 2020, which paid for a $2,390 private flight from Florida to California using a fake passport. Other extravagant purchases included a Rolex watch, Louis Vuitton bag, Rimowa suitcases, and Dior clothing.
Previous Conviction and 'Insufficient' Punishment
This was not Miller's first encounter with justice in Florida. In 2022, she was sentenced to five years in federal prison for attempting to use a stolen passport to obtain $8,000 from a bank. She also pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud in Boston, agreeing to forfeit $1.3 million.
However, Florida Assistant State Attorney Andrew van Sickle argued this punishment was inadequate, stating she had not reformed. Prosecutors presented evidence of a jailhouse phone call where Miller described a new 'hustle' to sell bug spray-coated paper to addicted inmates.
'This was a ground-breaking case, as the entire crime was derived almost entirely from digital evidence,' van Sickle said. He added that identity theft causes billions in losses and criticised media that romanticises such criminals.
Miller will now serve her new 16-year sentence consecutively with her existing five-year term, ensuring a lengthy period behind bars for her prolific fraud.
