A 39-year-old consultant from California, Michael Garcia, has been found guilty sentenced to fifty-seven months in prison for identity theft. According to the court, Garcia committed his crimes while working as an IT contractor.
Garcia was a technical contractor, who offered IT support to various firms within the Stockton area. While employed with a law firm and an accounting firm, he accessed their records and copied the personal information for more than 1,450 people.
According to court documents, Garcia and others used the stolen personal and financial information to make counterfeit identification documents such as driver’s licenses and military identification. The forged documents were then used to open bank accounts, draft bank checks, make cash withdrawals, obtain loans and lines of credit, and make unauthorized purchases.
Additionally, Garcia accompanied others who wore stolen U.S. Customs and Border Protection uniforms to carry out certain fraudulent transactions, such as cashing checks, in the belief that the uniforms gave them more credibility.
When arrested, the court records explained, Garcia possessed counterfeit California driver’s licenses, one of which bore his photo but with the name of a victim. In all, his scheme led to the loss of more than $136,000.