PHOENIX – An identity-theft ring that victimized thousands of residents in the Phoenix metropolitan area has been busted, authorities said.
Phoenix police said the suspects cobbled together identities by using items stolen from community mailboxes and used them to obtain credit and to cash forged checks.
Two women and one man have been arrested in connection with the ring, and police on Wednesday were seeking two additional suspects.
A joint investigation of Phoenix police and the U.S. Postal Service recently led authorities to a Litchfield Park home containing a huge amount of stolen mail, authorities said.
During a search warrant Dec. 12, police said they also found three printers supposedly used to falsify checks and create ID cards, and three-ring binders containing alphabetical information on previous victims.
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Loretta Christie, the accused ringleader, was arrested Tuesday and authorities said she had at least 15 profiles, or identities, inside her vehicle.
Christie, 34, was being held in a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of fraud and a probation violation.
Also arrested were Christie's boyfriend, 34-year-old Gonzalo Olmeda, and Lorraine Mendoza, 32, according to police.
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