Men and women of the 80th Aerial Port Squadron noticed they had more in common than their Air Force uniforms. Many of them were falling victim to identity theft, their names and information being used to open fraudulent bank accounts, ruining their credit in the process.
It was too big of a coincidence to ignore and the Air Force Special Investigations got involved when they noticed the trend.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the investigation is still ongoing but 5 arrests have been made in a ring of identity thefts that netted over $50,000.
The arrestees thus far include a mother, two daughters, a cousin, and a neighbor. Police think there may be more involved, however.
It seems the suspects got access to a unit roster with personal information like names, social security numbers and dates of birth. They used this information to open up bank accounts online and run fraudulent money through them.
All in all there are 20 victims thus far in this Air Force unit alone. Because there are 20 victims, the cases against the defendants will be treated like 20 different charges.
Identity theft, also called identity fraud under Georgia state law, is a serious felony as you can see here. Depending on how many charges each woman faces, they could potentially be spending a few decades behind bars.
Although officials aren’t sure how the defendants got the roster in their possession, they are continuing to investigate additional suspects.
Cases involving such things as identity theft and credit card fraud often involve regular people in dire financial straits. It is possible these women don’t have criminal histories and saw this as their chance to make some quick cash, never thinking they would get caught.
If you are facing any charges of this nature in the Georgia Criminal Courts, you need the assistance of an experienced defense attorney. I want to hear the details of your case and am looking forward to your call.