DENVER—The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that a man who used a stranger’s Social Security number in applying for a car loan didn’t commit criminal impersonation.
The Denver Post reported that the court threw out Felix Montes-Rodriguez’s 2006 conviction in a 4-3 decision.
Montes-Rodriguez used his own address, birth date and place of employment to apply for a loan, but used a woman’s Social Security number that he had been using for work. His immigration status isn’t known.
A majority of justices ruled that with so much identifying information on his application, he didn’t assume a false identity.
Prosecutors say the decision has little impact because new laws have stiffened penalties for unauthorized uses of Social Security numbers.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
