West Sacramento man pleads guilty to stealing hundreds of identities in mail fraud scheme

A West Sacramento man pleaded guilty Thursday to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, after authorities discovered a scheme involving hundreds of stolen identification materials, as well as forged licenses, credit cards and checkbooks.

Philip Rich, 49, may face up to 20 years of prison time after authorities discovered an elaborate identity theft scheme he carried out, allegedly with a co-defendant Kimberly Acevedo.

Between March 2019 and March 2021, Rich stole “hundreds, if not thousands,” of pieces of personally identifiable information from victims and used it to apply for credit cards, debit cards, checkbooks and more, according to a news release from the United State’s Attorney’s Office. He would then use victims’ information to submit change-of-address requests to the Postal Service, allowing the fraudulent cards and checks to be delivered to his address.

When federal agents executed a search warrant at Rich’s West Sacramento home, they found dozens of notebooks filled with stolen personal information. They also found between 10 and 15 driver’s licenses with victims’ names but photos of Rich and Acevedo, and over 50 credit and debit cards and 40 checkbooks. Authorities also found tools for constructing fake IDs.

Federal authorities believe that the scheme caused over $110,000 in losses.

Rich will now face up to 20 years in prison, as well as up to $250,000 in fines for each of the two counts. His sentencing is set for Sept. 15.

Acevedo is facing charges of mail fraud, possession of stolen mail and unlawful possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices. A verdict has not yet been reached in her case.

This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 3:27 PM.