Bliss sentenced to 5 years in federal prison
By
Brandy Chandler-brandychandler@gmail.com
A former Highland County resident has been sentenced to more than 5 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and other charges, in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati.
According to the office of the Clerk of Courts of the United States District Court Southern District of Ohio, David K. Bliss was sentenced to 37 months in prison on one count, to be served consecutively with a sentence already imposed in another case, and 24 months on the remaining count, to be served consecutively to the other cases, for a total of 61 months in prison.
The charges were from two separate grand jury indictments. One of the cases alleged Bliss tried to facilitate his release from prison via bond by submitting forged documents to a federal judge that indicated Bliss had been diagnosed with cancer.
According to court documents from the U.S. District Court, Bliss, and his wife, Darla Bliss, were indicted in April 2009 on seven counts, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
While incarcerated on those charges, Bliss was charged with obstruction of the due administration of justice after he allegedly submitted “documents to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, by submitting forged documents to U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett in support of motion to set bond, including the following: a forged document that appeared to come from Dermpath Diagnostics purporting to have diagnosed David Bliss with melanoma cancer; a forged document that appeared to come from David Bliss’s mother ... and a forged document that appeared to come from David Bliss’s daughter.”
On April 15, according to the clerk of courts office of the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, Bliss pleaded guilty to influencing or injuring an officer, juror or witness, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
He is currently being held in the Boone County Jail in Kentucky as a federal detainee, awaiting sentencing, which has been scheduled for July 26 before Judge Arthur Spiegel.
Bliss is being represented by court-appointed Cincinnati attorney Scott Rubenstein. Rubenstein declined to comment to The Highland County Press on the matter.
The first U.S. District Court indictment against Bliss and his wife alleged that between September 2007 and June 14, 2008, they “unlawfully, knowingly and willfully did combine, conspire, confederate and agree between and among themselves to knowingly execute a scheme and artifice to defraud and obtain moneys, funds, credits, assets, and property owned by, or under the custody or control of, financial institutions ... by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.”
It was alleged in the indictment used the name, date of birth and Social Security number of “a person known to the grand jury” and without that person’s consent, opened credit card accounts with Capital One and HSBC bank; submitted a fraudulent Health Care Power of Attorney to the U.S. Postal Service and UPS stories in Mason, Ohio to allow mail to be delivered to the Blisses’ mailbox; using an American Express card issued to “a person known to the grand jury” “obtained things of value aggregating $1,000 or more” and using said device (card) to make purchases up to $6,600,” among other charges to the card.
A former Highland County resident has been sentenced to more than 5 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and other charges, in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati.
According to the office of the Clerk of Courts of the United States District Court Southern District of Ohio, David K. Bliss was sentenced to 37 months in prison on one count, to be served consecutively with a sentence already imposed in another case, and 24 months on the remaining count, to be served consecutively to the other cases, for a total of 61 months in prison.
The charges were from two separate grand jury indictments. One of the cases alleged Bliss tried to facilitate his release from prison via bond by submitting forged documents to a federal judge that indicated Bliss had been diagnosed with cancer.
According to court documents from the U.S. District Court, Bliss, and his wife, Darla Bliss, were indicted in April 2009 on seven counts, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft.
While incarcerated on those charges, Bliss was charged with obstruction of the due administration of justice after he allegedly submitted “documents to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, by submitting forged documents to U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett in support of motion to set bond, including the following: a forged document that appeared to come from Dermpath Diagnostics purporting to have diagnosed David Bliss with melanoma cancer; a forged document that appeared to come from David Bliss’s mother ... and a forged document that appeared to come from David Bliss’s daughter.”
On April 15, according to the clerk of courts office of the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, Bliss pleaded guilty to influencing or injuring an officer, juror or witness, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
He is currently being held in the Boone County Jail in Kentucky as a federal detainee, awaiting sentencing, which has been scheduled for July 26 before Judge Arthur Spiegel.
Bliss is being represented by court-appointed Cincinnati attorney Scott Rubenstein. Rubenstein declined to comment to The Highland County Press on the matter.
The first U.S. District Court indictment against Bliss and his wife alleged that between September 2007 and June 14, 2008, they “unlawfully, knowingly and willfully did combine, conspire, confederate and agree between and among themselves to knowingly execute a scheme and artifice to defraud and obtain moneys, funds, credits, assets, and property owned by, or under the custody or control of, financial institutions ... by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.”
It was alleged in the indictment used the name, date of birth and Social Security number of “a person known to the grand jury” and without that person’s consent, opened credit card accounts with Capital One and HSBC bank; submitted a fraudulent Health Care Power of Attorney to the U.S. Postal Service and UPS stories in Mason, Ohio to allow mail to be delivered to the Blisses’ mailbox; using an American Express card issued to “a person known to the grand jury” “obtained things of value aggregating $1,000 or more” and using said device (card) to make purchases up to $6,600,” among other charges to the card.