6 arrested in breakup of identity theft ring

Federal agents have announced the breakup of what they call a major identity-theft ring that involved more than 25,000 checks and hundreds of victims.

Agents with the FBI, U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement said the check-fraud ring was driven by the need to buy methamphetamine for its drug-addicted members.

During a press conference Friday, U.S. District Attorney for Utah Paul Warner announced the indictment of six Salt Lake City residents who are accused of running a counterfeit check-cashing ring that resulted in more than $375,000 in losses.

"We're really striking at the heart of a major operation here in Utah," Warner said.

Federal agents said two men, 47-year-old Todd Allen Eversen and 34-year-old J.C. Flores, headed the ring. Also charged were Kari M. Dintleman, Roger Hansen, Cheri Imig and Danny Shayne Peterson.

Salt Lake FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Tim Fuhrman said the group created fake identification and checks and used a network of runners to cash those checks at various local banks and credit unions. The proceeds of the stolen cash would then be split with the runner. The majority of personal information came from stealing mail from mailboxes and dumpsters.

Agents said Friday that some members of the ring had ties to local white supremacist organizations, but their common goal was to feed their methamphetamine addictions.

While Eversen had the most ties to gangs, agents said Flores possessed the computer expertise, having been trained in graphic arts.

The group faces a variety of federal felony charges, including conspiracies to commit identity fraud, bank fraud, racketeering and aggravated identity theft. They face two-year mandatory minimum sentences each for four counts and between 15 and 30 years on three more counts.

Warner credited the break-up of the ring to the work of the Utah Identity Theft Task Force. Formed in November 2004, the task force, a cooperative of state, federal and various city/county agencies, has resulted in about 150 indictments with 112 current convictions.

In recent years, Fuhrman said, identity theft has become a major focus for law enforcement. Warner described it as a "tidal wave" sweeping over the country. People interested in learning how to protect themselves against identity theft can get information online from the U.S. Postal Service Web site, www.usps.com.

Fuhrman said the federal charges probably came as a shock to the ring members, who face a lot of time in prison. "When you go to federal prison, you do the time. There's no parole," Fuhrman said.

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