Tennessee Highway Patrol Makes Traffic Stop That Revealed a Sophisticated Identity Theft Scam

NASHVILLE – September 14, 2014, Trooper Baron Cooper of the Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Interdiction Plus West Bureau stopped Randall McKinney in a Nissan Maxima on I-155 in Dyer County, Tennessee.  Several possible criminal indicators prompted Trooper Cooper to investigate deeper beyond the original traffic violation. 

During the subsequent search of the vehicle, Trooper Cooper located a spiral ledger containing the personal identifying information of dozens of individuals.  The ledger also contained Free Application for Student Aid (FASFA) pin numbers, along with the associated individual’s name.

Trooper Cooper then requested Sergeant Brad Simpson with the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Identity Crimes Unit to assist in the case.  Sergeant Simpson’s subsequent investigation revealed that McKinney had used the identities of seventeen victims to enroll in eleven different colleges, fraudulently obtaining approximately $107,975 in federal student loans and Pell Grant funds.

“This is a nationally growing problem, and we are not immune here in Tennessee,” said Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Tracy Trott.  “I am proud of how our troopers are working to serve and protect the citizens of Tennessee,” added Trott.

Investigators with the United States Department of Education adopted the case for federal prosecution.

On August 1, 2016, Randall McKinney pled guilty to Student Loan Fraud in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Tennessee.

The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s (www.TN.Gov/safety) mission is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee.

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