A 38-year-old Vaiden man has been sentenced to serve six years in federal prison for aggravated identity theft and possessing fraudulent identity documents.

At a sentencing hearing Monday, Senior U.S. District Judge Glen H. Davidson sentenced Marcus D. Brown to a 72-month term of incarceration, followed by three years of court-supervised release.

Brown pleaded guilty Aug. 7 to possession of fraudulent identification documents with intent to use them in criminal activities and aggravated identity theft. Court records show that Brown was in possession of a fraudulently obtained vehicle that contained the actual identification documents of approximately 40 individuals who lived in Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.

The court had previously ordered Brown into custody after he attempted to escape the custody of state authorities.

“In this case, the lives of dozens of innocent citizens have been damaged and disrupted by the acts of one dishonest individual who sought to unjustly enrich himself at their expense,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner. “We applaud the sentence and the work by officers and investigators who brought this fraudulent conduct to light.”

“The United States Secret Service is committed to investigating and pursuing those who aim to take advantage of victims while trying to exploit our nation’s financial systems,” said Kyle Smith, resident agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Jackson Resident Office. “Thanks to the hard work of our law enforcement partners, this individual will be held responsible for these crimes.”

The United States Secret Service and Winona Police Department investigated the case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul D. Roberts.