Fraud! Over half a million dollars

A 36-year-old Florissant man who defrauded a charity and others has been sentenced to five years in prison.

The U.S. Attorney of Eastern Missouri said in a news release that Brandon Harper used fake IDs and credit cards to defraud victims out of $500,000, including diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Catholic charity.

Police said he was working at an Office Max/Office Depot while running that fraud scheme. The company's loss prevention department discovered Harper made more than $150,000 in fraudulent gift card transactions over seven months.

Harper pleaded guilty to two counts of identity theft and was sentenced on Friday.