Sacramento woman steals identity to buy car, drives it to probation appointment
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- Monique Grado pleaded guilty to identity theft and bank fraud in Sacramento.
- Grado used stolen identity to finance luxury vehicles, loans, and housing.
- Authorities found forged IDs and fraud manuals during vehicle search in 2023.
A woman who stole someone’s identity to buy a Jaguar and then sparked the attention of law enforcement by driving to a probation appointment in the luxury car pleaded guilty in federal court in Sacramento on Tuesday to aggravated identity theft and bank fraud, records show.
Monique Marie Gonzales Grado, 32, admitted to using a victim’s personal information to apply for a $55,000 loan to buy a Jaguar F-Pace crossover SUV from a credit union in the Sacramento area in August 2022, a plea agreement filed Tuesday says. Just days earlier, the Sacramento resident had borrowed $27,000 using the unnamed victim’s identity to buy a used Mercedes-Benz at a capital region car dealership.
She also used the victim’s identity to open a mobile phone account, lease an apartment and take out a personal loan for $20,000 the plea agreement says. She altered two checks to take about $30,000 more from the person’s bank account, the agreement says.
Gonzales Grado got caught in August 2023 after she drove the Jaguar to a meeting with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in the Jaguar, the plea agreement says. She was there to discuss probation terms regarding an unrelated conviction. When asked who owned the car, Gonzales Grado falsely said it was hers, the agreement says.
A search of the car turned up the victim’s driver’s license and social security card, as well as five credit or debit cards in the person’s name, the plea agreement says. Officers also found a driver’s license in the name of another person, but with Grado’s photo image on it, according to prosecutors.
They also found documents on how to create fake identification cards and make counterfeit currency, along with a 75-page guide on how to commit bank fraud, the plea agreement says.
Grado faces up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine on the bank fraud charge, plus a two-year sentence on the identity theft charge. She is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on Jan. 6, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant said in a news release on Tuesday.
