Recently a defendant whose true identity is still not known was sentenced to ten years in federal prison on identity theft charges by a federal court judge in Florida.  Court documents referred to the defendant as “John Doe” also known as Leroy, also known as L.T.H.  John Doe had been using a stolen identity for the last 22 years during which time he managed to obtain 23 government issued forms of identification including Military Contractor identification cards and Social Security cards.  His identification cards permitted him to have full access to at least five different Navy ships at the Mayport Florida Naval Station and secure areas of the Blount Island Marine Terminal.  As of this date, law enforcement have still not been able to identify who John Doe is which means that he has managed to avoid arrest before and does not have fingerprints on record.

TIPS

This case emphasizes the seriousness of identity theft where what appears to be a petty criminal is able to breach security at federal facilities due to identity theft.  Protect your identity by monitoring your credit report at least once a year by exercising your right to free credit reports from each of the major credit reporting agencies and jealously guard your Social Security number which is the key to identity theft.  Also, make sure that you check your annual statement of benefits provided to everyone by the Social Security Administration whether you are receiving benefits or not.