Fraudster Who Impersonated DEA Agent Sentenced to Federal Prison

Orlando, Florida - Matthew John Sanguine (49, Orlando) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe to five years and five months in federal prison for bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and impersonating an officer of the United States. Sanguine pleaded guilty on December 4, 2025. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $10,000, the proceeds of bank fraud conviction. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, on May 2, 2022, Sanguine was stopped by the Orlando Police Department while driving a stolen vehicle. Officers found a Florida driver license bearing Sanguine's photo but listing the identity of an Arizona resident ("J.R."). The officers kept that fraudulent document as part of the evidence involved in that case.

While his case was progressing in state court in Orlando, Sanguine presented the State Attorney's Office with a fraudulent letter that was purportedly authored by an agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration. The fake letter included claims that Sanguine was authorized to have the false driver license bearing the name "J.R." because Sanguine was working as an informant for the DEA. The letter demanded that the State Attorney's Office return the confiscated driver license because Sanguine needed this fake identity to avoid detection by drug cartels. The letter warned of a "grave risk" unless the license was returned to Sanguine "immediately" and all records of this license were removed from the court records.

The State Attorney's Office suspected the letter was not authentic and referred the matter to the FBI. The FBI's investigation revealed that Sanguine was using "J.R.'s" identity for at least a decade and had used it to perpetrate bank fraud for $10,000.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Orlando Police Department and the State Attorney's Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael P. Felicetta and Dana E. Hill. The forfeiture is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole M. Andrejko.