| |
Identity Theft Ring Leader Gets 13 Years
Traci Southerland, 37, was sentenced to thirteen years in prison by a federal judge on Wednesday, September 27 for having been the mastermind behind an identity-theft ring that operated in Cincinnati and stole approximately $500,000 before authorities shut down their activities.
Southerland appropriated the identities of more than a hundred people, at one point even using the Hamilton County Clerk's website to obtain personal information on victims including their Social Security numbers. Although county officials took measures to block access to the majority of the records on the site, they were not prepared to guarantee that all of the documents available had been purged of Social Security numbers.
Once armed with the stolen data, Southerland and her associates used the information to manufacture counterfeit checks, to fabricate driver's licenses, and to falsify other documents necessary to steal money from bank accounts and from businesses.
Shortly after her arrest, Southerland g ave birth to a child and used her recent motherhood as a pretext to request leniency. She apologized to U.S. District Judge S. Arthur Spiegel saying, "Somewhere along the way, I got lost. I haven't been able to find myself."
The judge did not believe, however, that Southerland was truly remorseful for her illicit activities, pointing out that the defendant admitted to the thefts as a method to acquire needed funds when she was out of work.
After her arrest in March 2006 Southerland pleaded guilty to bank fraud, conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft. She cooperated with authorities in their investigation which ultimately apprehended seven other members of the theft ring.
U.S. Attorney Greg Lockhart said of the arrest, "Southerland admitted that as far back as September 2001, she was the link between other conspirators who were charged with obtaining victims' personal identifiers and those who used the identities to purchase merchandise fraudulently."
|
|
|
