Aurora’s Godat held on charges of bank fraud, identity theft

Suspect allegedly impersonated deceased woman to secure money, stock shares
 
An Aurora man is currently being held in the Greene County Jail in Springfield on behalf of the United States Marshals while he faces federal charges. Kenneth Edward Godat, 49, faces four counts of bank fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft. The charges were filed by the United States Government in the United States District Court in Springfield.
According to the indictment against Godat, he allegedly befriended Angeline T. Glenney, who died on July 26, 2018, to gain access to her personal identifying information, including: her name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, bank account numbers and at least one password providing access to Glenney’s account at Great Southern Bank. Before she died, Glenney lived down the street from a family member of Godat’s.
The indictment stated that Godat allegedly opened credit accounts in Glenney’s name at Citibank and the Amalgamated Bank of Chicago on Sept. 19, 2018. Godat allegedly used Glenney’s name and other personal information to open the accounts, while also using the phone number of his relative. About a month later, on Oct. 11, Godat allegedly contacted Compu Share, a stock transfer company, to sell stock in the Altria Group which Glenney owned, using Glenney’s Social Security number.
 The indictment further states that the Altria Group mailed a check made out to Glenney in the amount of $22,169.62 to her home address in Hollister, and that Godat, aided and abetted by others, retrieved the check from her mail, allegedly forged her endorsement on it and deposited into her account via the bank’s night drop box.
The indictment further alleges that Godat called the Great Southern Bank Call Center in Springfield on Oct. 27, 2018 and, impersonating Glenney, persuaded two employees to issue a cashier’s check in the amount of $22,900 and to authorize someone who was not a signatory on the account to pick up the check at the bank’s Ozark branch.
Godat also allegedly called the bank’s call center the following day and impersonating Glenney’s husband, Kenneth, who died in 2003, persuaded employees to issue a check on Glenney’s account payable to Youngblood Sales.
Godat is currently scheduled to be tried in federal court in Springfield on Monday, Sept. 14; he is next scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial conference on Thursday, Aug. 20.
Godat also faces charges of allegedly stealing a motor vehicle in Newton County and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia in Christian County.