Woman used identities from stolen rental applications in $1.6 million scam, feds say

A California woman made counterfeit savings bonds using genuine bond numbers and real people’s identities as part of a $1.6 million scam, authorities said.

Her partners then passed those forged savings bonds at financial institutions in Texas, among other places, and gave her some of the proceeds, according to the woman’s signed plea agreement.

Now, the 45-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to conspiring to make, pass and transfer counterfeit U.S. savings bonds and passing counterfeit savings bonds, according to an Oct. 4 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

Her defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on Oct. 6.

Authorities said the woman learned how to acquire savings bond numbers in 2019.

She and her co-conspirators then acquired “profiles” — the names, Social Security numbers, addresses and other personally identifiable information — of people from stolen rental applications and the dark web, prosecutors said.

With those profiles, she created counterfeit savings bonds, according to the plea agreement. The stolen names were listed as bond owners, authorities said.

Her partners would then use fake identification to pose as the bond owner and pass the bonds, authorities said.

More than $1.6 million in counterfeit Series I savings bonds were passed as part of the crime ring, according to the release.

The woman faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine. She’s scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 20.

One of her partners also pleaded guilty to the same charges, authorities said. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 12.

This story was originally published October 6, 2023 at 11:49 AM with the headline "Woman used identities from stolen rental applications in $1.6 million scam, feds say."