| |
Criminals Use ID Theft To Elude Authorities
In 1998 Bradford Paul Storti was arrested by FBI agents for transmitting child pornography over the Internet. At the time, he was the first Michigan resident to be charged with the crime. His capture came at the end of an 18-month manhunt after investigators found explicit photos, computer disks, and incriminating photo albums in his home.
On Wednesday, October 18 Storti was facing arraignment in Lansing, Michigan once again, this time for a variety of charges including forgery and identity theft. The convicted sex offender attempted to steal the identity of a deceased infant in order to move to Oregon without registering as a sex offender.
In a frightening example of how technologically astute criminals could use the Internet and ID theft to elude capture, Storti submitted a written request for the birth certificate of John Slapp from the Michigan vital records office. The request was accompanied by fraudulent credit cards, a Social Security Card, and two credit cards all in Slapp's name. Slapp died in 1972.
Storti received a four year sentence for child pornography in 1999 and was seeking to return to Oregon where he had lived when attempting to elude those earlier charges.
In a press release Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said, "It's amazing how far sex offenders and other desperate criminals will go to hide their true identities, but we in the law enforcement community will remain several steps ahead of them. Those who attempt to commit identity theft in Michigan will be prosecuted and punished.
|
|
|
