Source: Media Newswire
Portland, Ore. - Carol Crane, 43, has been indicted on new identity theft, bank fraud and conspiracy charges. Crane is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Dennis J. Hubel in Portland today at 1:00 p.m. for an arraignment and remains in custody pending a detention hearing.

Last December Crane pleaded guilty to Bank Fraud in connection with the investigation of an identity theft ring which operated in the Portland metropolitan area during 2004 and 2005. Bank Fraud carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, a $l,000,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release. The defendant has agreed to serve a sentence of 100 months in prison on the previous charges. During her December plea hearing, Crane admitted that she, and a group of individuals working with her, defrauded various banks and other financial institutions and obtained money from these institutions by stealing identification and other documents from various individuals, and then using the stolen documents to get money from the victim banks.

Crane admitted that she and her accomplices stole purses, wallets, personal identification, checks, credit cards and other items belonging to individuals and businesses from public and private premises in and around the Portland, Oregon area. They used stolen checks by creating forgeries made payable to persons whose identification she and others had stolen. Crane directed others to use the stolen identifications and to pose as the payees and cash forged checks at various financial institutions. They also use stolen credit cards and stolen debit cards to get cash advances at various financial institutions, or to make purchases. During Crane’s plea hearing, she acknowledged that her involvement in identity theft resulted in theft of identification from more than 50 individuals and caused losses to various financial institutions totaling $151,542.

The new indictment alleges that Crane committed bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in the Portland area and in Washington along the I-5 corridor during 2006, and even in 2007 after her guilty plea in December, 2006. Crane is charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with two specific transactions at US Bank branches in Portland in December, 2006. The indictment alleges that Crane, and two other individuals, traveled to Federal Way and Tumwater, Washington, during January and February 2007, as part of a conspiracy to commit bank fraud and identity theft.

Bank fraud, a violation of 18 U.S.C. 1344, has a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine, and up to five years supervised release. Aggravated identity theft carries a mandatory penalty of 24 months in prison consecutive to the related fraud sentence, plus up to a $250,000 fine and one year supervised release. Conspiracy has a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release.

This investigation is being handled by the Washington County Fraud Identity Theft Enforcement (FITE) Team, assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and local law enforcement agencies in Oregon and Washington. An indictment is only an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lance Caldwell. Anyone who has information relating to identity theft in the Portland metropolitan area should contact their local police or sheriff’s department, or the FBI.