DENVER-
Six people have been arrested in an investigation into an identity theft ring suspected of targeting Boulder residents, leading to thousands of dollars in losses, Colorado Attorney General John Suthers said Tuesday.
In a written statement, Suthers linked the thefts to methamphetamine use. “The tactics of the alleged offenders are as common as the motive behind the crimes: Methamphetamine abuse is responsible for a great deal of criminal conduct in Colorado,” he said.
A grand jury indictment accuses the suspects of operating an ID theft ring across the Denver area from March 1, 2006, to Oct. 26, 2006, that victimized at least 17 people and 35 businesses by passing fake checks.
The suspects are accused of stealing mail from homes and breaking into vehicles in open garages to steal driver’s licenses, then using victims’ personal information to create fake driver’s licenses and checks, Suthers’ office said.
A search warrant at a home in Westminster where the ring was suspected of operating turned up “numerous” garbage bags of stolen mail and forged documents, and computer equipment used to forge driver’s licenses and checks, according to Suthers’ office.
The defendants faced 56 counts on charges including violation of the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act, forgery and identity theft.
The suspects were identified as Jessica Prather, 25; Christopher “Sam Bam” France, 36; Christopher Applegate, 31; Brandy Creal, 25; Allyson Turner, 25; and Brian Nicholson, 22.
