HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Philadelphia County man has pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges after stealing a deceased classmate’s identity to fraudulently obtain a driver’s license, vehicle registration, insurance, and apply for a concealed carry firearms permit, Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced Wednesday.
Anthony Percell, 56, admitted to insurance fraud, theft by deception, identity theft, and forgery in Philadelphia County Court. Investigators revealed that he had assumed the identity of a former classmate who died in 1986 and used the stolen credentials for years to secure official documents and benefits.
As part of a plea agreement, Percell was sentenced to six to 23 months in prison, followed by seven years of probation. He was also prosecuted federally for using the stolen identity to obtain a passport and airport access, with the state sentence set to run concurrently with his federal prison term.
“This defendant brazenly stole the identity of a classmate who died decades ago,” Attorney General Sunday said, adding that Percell’s actions, including the attempted firearms permit application, posed a public safety risk.