Bradenton identity theft case tied to fraud in multiple cities, police say
A 50-year-old woman accused of using stolen identities to obtain loans in multiple Florida cities now faces felony charges in Manatee County, according to court records.
Cecilia Marie Senter is charged in connection with an October incident in which investigators say she used another woman’s personal information to obtain a $7,500 loan from a Mariner Finance branch on State Road 64 in Bradenton.
An attorney representing Senter did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Senter went to the Mariner Finance branch and applied for a loan using another woman’s identity, according to an arrest report. She presented a fraudulent Florida driver’s license and submitted fabricated documents to support the application, investigators said.
Investigators say the application was approved and the funds were disbursed to a Mastercard.
The fraud was discovered after Mariner Finance’s corporate fraud department flagged suspicious activity and alerted the branch, where an employee later identified Senter as the person who completed the application, according to an arrest report.
Surveillance video from inside the business also shows Senter in the office during the transaction, according to the Bradenton Police Department.
The victim told investigators she did not know Senter and never gave permission for her personal information to be used.
Investigators say the case is part of a broader pattern. Senter is linked to several other fraudulent loan applications or attempts within a roughly two-month period, with related investigations involving law enforcement agencies in other parts of Florida, court records show.
Senter was arrested in Lakeland in November 2025 and also faces similar allegations in Lake County, records show. Polk County deputies arrested her again on April 1 and served warrants in the Manatee County cases.
Senter faces multiple felony charges, including grand theft during a state of emergency, criminal use of personal identification information, uttering a forged instrument and scheme to defraud. Under Florida law, these second and third-degree felonies are punishable by up to 15 and five years in prison, respectively.
Senter pleaded not guilty on Wednesday and demanded a jury trial. Her arraignment is scheduled for May 15 before Circuit Judge Teri K. Dees at the Manatee County Judicial Center, court records show.
She remains in custody at the Manatee County jail on $10,000 bonds in each case, with a hold from Lake County, jail records show.
