Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist and Kissimmee Police Chief Mark Weimer announced the arrests of four individuals following an investigation into an identity theft ring.
Michael Townsend and Gregory Gaffney, both of Kissimmee, Karen Looney of Davenport and Eugenia Kennedy of Altamonte Springs are charged with racketeering, criminal use of personal identifying information and grand theft. The four are charged with responsibility for the theft of approximately $100,000, but the total attributed to the ring could exceed $1 million.
The investigation began last September and concentrated on a ring operating throughout Central Florida. The investigation revealed that the identities of numerous individuals were stolen, leading to substantial fraud against at least seven merchants and financial institutions. These were especially large merchants that conduct business across the country.
Some of the reported methods used by the ring included taking mail from dumpsters behind post offices that would include credit card checks and bank checks. The ring then created fake identifications to match the checks, using these IDs throughout the region to purchase goods and merchandise.
Townsend and Gaffney are being held on $500,000 bond, while Looney and Kennedy were being held on $100,000 bond.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Allstate Reports Second Quarter Pretax Catastrophe Losses of $2.1B 
Allstate, State Farm Sued Over $4 Billion Maui Fire Settlement 
Insurers Settle With Hotel in Case of Woman Videotaped in the Shower 
Surplus Lines Commercial Growth; Fla. Litigation Costs Reach New High in 2023 From This Issue
