Social Security, pension thief sentenced
JACKSONVILLE – A U.S. District Court judge has sentenced a Lake Asbury man to five years and four months in federal prison for stealing his dead mother’s Social Security and pension benefits.
On Jan. 30, Judge Marcia Morales Howard sentenced Brian Lee Adams, 57, on charges of theft of government property and aggravated identity theft. As part of the sentence, the court also entered a money judgment in the amount of $33,292.36, the proceeds of the offenses. Adams pleaded guilty on October 31, 2016.
According to court documents, Adams’s mother died in an unknown manner some time before July 4, 2014. To conceal her death and to ensure that he could continue to receive her Social Security and pension benefits, Adams buried his mother in the backyard of her residence in Lake Asbury just off Sandridge Road across from Ronnie Van Zant Park. He received and used those benefits until authorities received a tip and discovered his mother’s body in June 2015.
This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service, the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arnold B. Corsmeier.

CCSO needs public’s help
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The Clay County Sheriff’s Office wants to know if you know this man pictured here.
According to the CCSO, on Jan. 29 at 5:45 p.m., he entered Watches Plus in the Orange Park Mall and asked an employee to show him a chain necklace.
He selected a necklace to try on and as soon as the employee handed it to him, he ran away with it. The store manager and the employee ran after him, but were not able to stop him.
They told police he got into a silver, Nissan Altima with North Carolina license plate EHM 1014. A female driver was waiting for him in the vehicle and they drove away. The necklace is valued at almost $9,000.
If you have an information that could lead to an arrest, call the Clay County Sheriff’s Office at (904) 264-6512.

Man who used dead man’s ID for years turns himself in
GREEN COVE SPRINGS – A Middleburg man faces five felony charges including unlawful possession of a counterfeit or illegally issued driver’s license after allegedly using the identity of a dead man for decades.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said Stephen Michael York, 64, turned himself in at CCSO headquarter on Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. after the Florida Highway Patrol obtained an arrest warrant on Jan. 10.
The warrant said that after being involved in a minor, two-vehicle crash, York provided officers an ID bearing the name of Joel Dean Hanes. York soon after revealed that Joel Hanes was not his real name, but rather, a name given to him by the United States Military after being involved in an unfortunate accident that resulted in him being dishonorably discharged. York was unable to provide information on why or how the military gave him this new name, leading police to believe that the story might not be true.
During a recorded interview with FHP, York confessed that he obtained this name while he was an escapee from a prison in North Carolina. Jerry Higgins, a communications specialist with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, confirmed that York was arrested and convicted of robbery with a dangerous weapon on October 14, 1971 in Cumberland County, N.C. He did escape twice from North Carolina prisons, was recaptured both times, and served his sentence, Higgins stated in an email exchange with Clay Today.
Joel Dean Hanes is the name of a baby that died at birth, according to the warrant. York confessed to using this fraudulent name to acquire motor vehicle insurance, open a bank account and even make insurance claims over the last few years.
The warrant also states that it was confirmed that York had dozens of interactions with the law over the past 20 years using the name Joel Dean Hanes.
York was charged with unlawful possession of a counterfeit driver’s license, fraudulent use of identification information of a deceased individual, use of a false name during a motor vehicle license application, making fraudulent insurance claims and giving false or misleading information when applying for motor vehicle insurance.
At press time, York remained in the Clay County Jail where his bond is set at $30, 018.

U.S. 17 crash ends in death for Green Cove Springs man
FLEMING ISLAND – The Florida Highway Patrol said a Green Cove Springs man died at Orange Park Medical Center Wednesday night from injuries in a traffic crash on U.S Highway 17.
FHP said the crash took place on Jan. 25 at 6:49 p.m. and backed up traffic in both directions for at least an hour.
Police said Oscar A. Daniels-Borbua, 60, was driving a 2010 Nissan Versa heading south on U.S. 17 near Copper Stone Drive when he suddenly veered across the left lane, over the concrete median and into the northbound lanes. When his car crossed over, he slammed head-on into a 2010 Mercedes C300 driven by Dennis P. Roquand of Fleming Island who had been heading north on U.S. 17 in the center lane.
In the crash, the Versa overturned and struck a Civic SI, driven by Marty Ray Nichols, 51, of Orange Park, who was also heading north. Upon impact, debris from the collision between the Versa and the Civic SI struck and damaged the right front of a fourth vehicle, a Civic driven by Michael Denzel Masline, 25, of Green Cove Springs. Neither Masline nor Nichols were injured in the crash, while Roquand and a passenger were treated for minor injuries at the hospital.
FHP stated that alcohol was not believed to be a factor and each driver was wearing a safety belt.