Some of us have grown so accustomed to the widespread use of identity theft for financial gain that we forget about the other terrible crimes a person could commit in our name. According to a report by centralmaine.com, some poor man in Ohio had his name fraudulently added to the Maine Sex Offender Registry by his identity thief.
This story traces back to the early 1990s, when a Canadian fugitive illegally enters the United States. (Not on the acceptable imports list.) In 1994, he lands in a Florida prison and becomes familiar with another inmate—an American. Years later, the American, who has since moved to Ohio, applies for federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, aka food stamps. But his application is denied on the basis that he is already receiving SNAP benefits in Maine. (It’s ironic that his need for public assistance is what revealed the scam perpetrated in his name.)
As it turns out, the Canadian fugitive he’d met in prison all those years ago has stolen his Social Security number, along with his identity. Using the American’s name, the Canadian goes on to collect nearly $6,000 in SNAP benefits through the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.
Are you ready for the clincher? At some point, the Canadian—still pretending to be the Ohio man—commits a sex crime and is ordered to register in the Maine Sex Offender Registry. (You know where this is going). At this point, he’s so far in that he can’t possibly register under his real name, so he registers as the American. (Gotta stay consistent.) So he’s effectively turned a poor, hungry man in Ohio into a sex offender (at least, on paper), in a state the Ohio man probably has never even visited.
The (thin) silver lining here is that the SNAP coincidence surfaces this longstanding, devastating case of identity theft. Ultimately, the Canadian fugitive lands in front of a federal judge and pleads guilty to charges of theft of public money and aggravated identity theft. He is sentenced to more than three years in federal prison and ordered to pay $5,923 in restitution, after which he will be returned to Canada. (Take off, to the Great White North!)
As far as implications go, these crimes really speak for themselves. Aside from the moral and ethical catastrophe of stealing someone’s identity and committing atrocious crimes using their name, there are, no doubt, hefty costs attached to unraveling and repairing such extensive fraud.
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