A five-month joint investigation by the Cook County Sheriff's Financial Crimes Unit, several Chicago-area police department and the US Postal Inspection Service brought down a massive identity theft ring, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Dubbed "Operation Quick Change," the investigation led to the arrest of seven young women from the south Chicago suburbs and further downstate.
They stand accused of charging more than $300,000 in at least 500 transactions with credit cards obtained through stolen personal information. Sheriffs said the group bought expensive consumer goods such as appliances and furniture, selling them to friends and relatives for cash.
One of the ringleaders is in police custody and most likely has called a Chicago criminal defense attorney by now, while the six other suspects are thought to have fled the area.
Hundreds of people across the country are thought to have been victimized by the crime spree. Sheriff Tom Dart explained how the perpetrators were able to do so much damage within the space of about a year:
"The key people involved in this scheme took advantage of anyone they could - from victims who had no idea to clerks who were accused of racism for questioning their credit applications."
Tijuana Leonard, one of the main suspects, allegedly stole personal information while working as a janitor at Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation. The job gave her unsupervised access to areas that contained confidential patient files. In fact, many patients of doctors on the 19th through 21st floors of the building claimed to have been victims of identity theft while Ms. Leonard worked there.
Police say Ms. Leonard gave the information to her accomplices, who would then apply for credit cards or request credit reports online. Investigators say the apartment of Shikila Blount, the suspect in custody, resembled a warehouse.
Related Resources:
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Identity Theft FAQ (FindLaw)
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Study Looks at Identity Theft Trends (FindLaw's Common Law)
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Contact a Chicago Criminal Attorney (FindLaw)
