Disbarred Lawyer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Identity Theft

COLUMBIA, SC—United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated that John Mark Marino, formerly known as Ronald Mark Hunter, age 71, of Del Ray Beach, Florida, was sentenced today to serve two years in federal prison. The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Henry F. Floyd. Judge Floyd also ordered that at the conclusion of his imprisonment Mr. Marino serve a term of supervised release of one year.

At his guilty plea hearing, Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) David C. Stephens advised the court of the following facts concerning the case. Until 2005 Marino was known by the name of R. Mark Hunter, and had practiced law in Pennsylvania under that name until his disbarment.  In 2005 Hunter legally changed his name to Marino. Thereafter, he assumed the identity of a retired attorney in New York state who had the same name. Defendant Marino used the real Marino’s bar license number to substantiate his assumed identity. Mr. Stephens stated that the purpose of the charade was to give Defendant Marino credibility when he attempted to sell certain investments. The identity theft was discovered when Defendant Marino tried to sell the investment to an undercover FBI agent in South Carolina.

Mr. Nettles praised AUSA David Stephens and the FBI for their handling of the case, which he characterized as one of the more aggravated identity theft cases that his office has prosecuted.