Sacramento man sentenced for November identity theft spree in South Lake Tahoe area

A Sacramento man was sentenced to four years in prison for an identity theft crime spree in November in which he vandalized numerous mailboxes and stole personal information, according to the El Dorado County District Attorney.

Authorities with the South Lake Tahoe Police Department and the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office received a flurry of calls on Nov. 11 that a suspect was seen breaking into mailboxes, according to a news release. Ryan Hansken, of Sacramento, was pulled over by police in South Lake Tahoe a short time later, and when he was shown footage filmed by witnesses of the mailbox break-ins, he told officers, “You got me, man,” the release said.

Prosecutors said authorities discovered checks, multiple forms of identification and credit cards belonging to South Lake Tahoe victims inside of Hansken’s vehicle.

Hansken’s criminal history includes a conviction for first-degree burglary in 2018 by a Sacramento County jury.