RALEIGH, N.C. – Roderick Michael Bates, 56, of Georgia, has been sentenced to over four years in federal prison after pleading guilty to identity theft and wire fraud. The charges stem from his scheme to defraud a farm machinery and equipment business in Salemburg, Sampson County.
Bates utilized stolen identities and fake driver’s licenses to secure financing for high-value farm equipment. He fraudulently purchased items exceeding $65,000, including a zero-turn mower, an Evolution D5 Ranger golf cart, and dump trailers. The items were then shipped hundreds of miles away, outside North Carolina.
Law enforcement officers apprehended Bates during the delivery, recovering all the stolen equipment. U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle for the Eastern District of North Carolina emphasized, "This Georgia criminal chose poorly coming up here to steal from a local business in Sampson County." Boyle added a warning to out-of-state criminals, stating they would be found and imprisoned.
U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III issued the sentencing. The Sampson County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI collaborated on the investigation.