A repeat offender, with prior convictions for forgery and identity theft, was sentenced on Monday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to four years in prison in connection with stealing mail from more than 380 victims in King County.
Bobbie Denise Catton, 50, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of possession of stolen mail, one count of access device fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. At sentencing U.S. District Judge James L. Robart said he wanted to protect the public from “a sophisticated ID theft criminal who is also a drug addict,” according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office media release.
According to court records , between March of 2013 and January of 2014, Catton and her cohorts stole large volumes of mail throughout King County from homes and apartment complexes. They used stolen checks, credit and debit card information and identifying documents to commit various types of fraud.
When arrested by a King County Sheriff’s deputy following a traffic stop, Catton had dozens of credit/debit cards and bank statements in others’ names in her possession, along with financial and identifying information for hundreds of others. Investigators identified 382 victims in the scheme.
In asking for a significant prison sentence, prosecutors highlighted the impact identity theft has on victims.
“For individual victims, the time and money required to repair the immediate damage is only the beginning,” prosecutors wrote. “Once stolen, their identities become a commodity capable of being bought, sold, and traded. Apprehension and prosecution of the initial perpetrator may do little to end a victim’s ordeal. They must remain vigilant and continually invest extra time, and money monitoring their financial lives.” p
Catton was previously prosecuted federally in 2002 for identity fraud and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.
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