PENSACOLA, Florida – A 30-year-old Fort Walton Beach man will spend two and a half years in federal prison for photographing customers’ credit and debit cards while he worked at a Destin Wendy’s, federal prosecutors said.
Marcus Bernard Clark earlier pleaded guilty to fraudulent possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices and aggravated identity theft. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.
Phone search turned up the images
Court documents show Clark worked at the Destin Wendy’s in September and October 2022. Law enforcement found the images during a judicially authorized extraction of his cell phone in connection with a separate criminal case.
Investigators found more than 200 photographs and some short videos of different people’s credit and debit cards. They determined Clark took the images at the restaurant while he was on the job.
None of the victims gave Clark permission to photograph their bank cards, which showed their names and card numbers.
Officials respond
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton prosecuted it.
“This successful prosecution was made possible thanks to the excellent investigative work of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, and now this fraudster will spend time in federal prison,” Heekin said. “Those who seek to enrich themselves by preying upon and defrauding others should be warned that my office will ensure they see the inside of a federal prison cell.”
Okaloosa Sheriff Eric Aden also commented on the case.
“Those who prey on others by stealing their personal and financial information should know that we will always take these crimes very seriously,” Aden said. “Our investigators and our counterparts are totally committed to pursuing offenders and making sure they’re held accountable.”
The Northern District of Florida has handled similar cases recently. In another Panhandle case, a Pensacola man received two years in federal prison after using fake pay stubs to finance a Ferrari, a Jeep and a boat.