Accused identity thief Bridget Chaplin facing additional charges

Credit Cards, debit cards drivers licenses and your social security number should be safeguarded at all times. (Photo:: Tax Credits)

Additional charges for Identity thief Bridget Chaplin

The case against accused identify thief Bridget Chaplin has  just gotten much stronger with nearly 20 more charges added to their original indictment.

Chaplin, 32, was arrested after an investigation conducted in June and July of this year connected her to a major identity theft operation.

Her home and a room at Budget Suites, which served as forgery “labs”, were raided with massive amounts of information confiscated including:

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• W2 forms
• forged checked
• drivers licenses
• at least one passport
• credit cards
• laminators
• massive amounts of personal information on others

At the time, authorities were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information collected after she was initially charged with 43 counts related to forgery after her arrest in September, 2013.

Authorities have made attempts to contact the individuals whose information, however, some of the people are deceased and some, at this point, have not been able to be tracked.

Certain individuals that have been contacted have said that their personal information was stolen either from their home or from their automobile.

According to News 3,  Chaplin had been arrested for forgery in the past and had a 2007 conviction for stolen mail.

She’s been described by as Deputy District Attorney as one of the state’s  most “prolific identity thieves”.

At the time of her arrest, she said that the forged checks found were “novelties’ and that she could not prosecuted for having them.

In a jailhouse interview she has denied all charges and is representing herself.

She has also asked for a speedy trial.

Could one person be responsible for orchestrating such a large-scale identity theft ring, or will there be other arrests?

Chaplin now faces 62 counts relating to forgery with bail set at $624,000. Shed is scheduled for an arraignment on the new charges in early November.

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