Kansas case puts face on 'total identity theft'

[Nova78]

Kansas case puts face on 'total identity theft' | US National Headlines | Comcast

WICHITA, Kan. — When Candida L. Gutierrez's identity was stolen, the thief didn't limit herself to opening fraudulent credit and bank accounts. She assumed Gutierrez's persona completely, using it to get a job, a driver's license, a mortgage and even medical care for the birth of two children.

All the while, the crook claimed the real Gutierrez was the one who had stolen her identity. The women's unusual tug-of-war puts a face on "total identity theft," a brazen form of the crime in which con artists go beyond financial fraud to assume many other aspects of another person's life.

The scheme has been linked to illegal immigrants who use stolen Social Security numbers to get paid at their jobs, and authorities fear the problem could soon grow to ensnare more unsuspecting Americans.

"When she claimed my identity and I claimed it back, she was informed that I was claiming it too," said Gutierrez, a 31-year-old elementary schoolteacher. "She knew I was aware and that I was trying to fight, and yet she would keep fighting. It is not like she realized and she stopped. No, she kept going, and she kept going harder."

A 32-year-old illegal immigrant named Benita Cardona-Gonzalez is accused of using Gutierrez's identity during a 10-year period when she worked at a Topeka company that packages refrigerated foods.

If your Government would work to protect it's citizens from foreign invaders, shit like this would not happen,we live in a scum society controlled by idiots......

 

[Katzndogz]

That's why we have birth certificates.

 

[Grandma]

But - but birf certificates can be forged!

 

[Noomi]

But - but birf certificates can be forged!

Yes, because the Repubs have told us this - as Obama's was forged!

 

[Moonglow]

Maybe if those that had their identities stolen would learn the tactics of an assassin the thieves would be less in number.

 

[waltky]

Granny says when she gets outta jail - deport her...

US teacher sees identity thief convicted in court
Wed, Mar 27, 2013 - A Texas teacher and an illegal immigrant living in Kansas have fought for a dozen years to claim the identity of Candida L. Gutierrez in a case that has put a face on the growing crime of “total identity theft” in the US.

On Monday, the real Candida L. Gutierrez saw her identity thief, Benita Cardona-Gonzalez, for the first time. Their encounter came inside a federal courtroom where Cardona-Gonzalez, a Mexican national, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for possessing fraudulent identification documents. The plea deal Cardona-Gonzalez struck with prosecutors gave her less prison time but guaranteed she would not contest her deportation. She pleaded guilty to an aggravated felony, which typically results in automatic deportation.

When Gutierrez’s identity was stolen, the thief didn’t stop at opening fraudulent credit and bank accounts. Cardona-Gonzalez assumed Gutierrez’s persona completely, using it to get a job, a driver’s license, a mortgage and medical care for her children. She put the stolen name on the birth certificates of her two US-born children in the spots where they list who’s the mother. “I wanted to make sure I could see her face and she could see my face — so that she knew the face of the person who paid for living her dream,” Gutierrez said. “Because her dream was my nightmare.”

Cardona-Gonzales briefly glanced at Gutierrez while giving a hurried statement in Spanish. “I accept my punishment and I accept my responsibility and I ask forgiveness of Ms Gutierrez,” she said. Both women had claimed they were identity theft victims and sought to get new Social Security numbers. The Social Security Administration turned down Gutierrez’s request and instead issued a new number to the woman impersonating her. Gutierrez was forced to file her federal income tax forms using a special identification number usually reserved for illegal immigrants. Gutierrez first learned her identity had been hijacked when she was turned down for a mortgage. Each year, she goes to the Social Security Administration with her birth certificate, driver’s license, passport and even school yearbooks to prove her identity and clear her employment record.

She spends hours on the telephone with creditors and credit bureaus, fills out affidavits and has yet to clean up her credit history. Her tax records are a mess. She even phoned the impostor’s employer in a futile effort to find some relief. When Gutierrez got married a year ago, her new husband set out to clear her credit history. He traced the identity thief to Kansas and contacted federal authorities. US District Judge Eric Melgren called the case a “classic example” of the harm done by identity theft, saying people who characterize the cases as victimless crimes are uninformed.

US teacher sees identity thief convicted in court - Taipei Times