Fresh Start Financial Busted as Louisiana Identity Theft Ring
Louisiana State Police have busted an identity theft ring in New Orleans, who they say racked up approximately $1 million in fraudulent charges - all while doing business under the guise of a legitimate finance agency.
According to WWLTV, 2 people in New Orleans were arrested for allegedly operating under the name "Fresh Start Financial," on a laundry list of charges. 42-year-old Tanya Ward and 31-year-old Charles Roy are being charged with racketeering, identity theft and injuring public records along with dozens of other charges connected to the crime.
Investigators say the pair set up a complicated scam involving stolen and unassigned social security numbers used to set up a false identity complete with credit history. Once the credit score got high enough, the identity would be sold or used to commit fraud.
In total, the operation netted 20 arrests and hundreds of charges. During the course of the investigation, agents discovered 121 children’s identities from across the country had been stolen in order to create these fake identities.
To see the entire list of those arrested, and the many charges (up to and including murder) officials have levied against these suspected criminals - click here.