Identity Theft - Criminals Pay the Price
-Crime Doesn’t Pay-
With new, tougher legislation on the books regarding punishing people who steal the personal information or identities of others for their own use, identity theft is becoming a crime that it is a wonder why some people still try to commit it.
In 2004, President Bush signed the “Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act,” which significantly stiffened penalties for committing identity theft, adding a minimum 2-year sentence for a conviction on top of other penalties as assigned by courts for the crimes committed in the course of identity-theft which is a felony.
Identity Theft Consequences
The price paid for the victims of identity theft are already well-known. Perpetrators of the crime do not care about the suffering they cause their victims, but they usually get plenty of time to think about it once they are caught, and with security cameras and tracking devices everywhere, catching people who commit this crime is getting easier every single day.
Usually an identity thief has no clue they are about to have their lives drastically changed. FBI agents and/or local law enforcement spend a good deal of time tracking an identity thief in their activities to collect evidence against them for use in court before moving in. As a result, it is extremely rare for someone legally accused of identity theft to convince a jury of their innocence. Prosecuriters will have the items purchased taken from the thief’s home, the reciepts where they signed their victim’s name, and often video footage from the stores they visited. Convincing a jury of innocence after this evidence is presented is generally impossible.
Often the arrest of a thief is made at the their home when they are least expecting it. A knock at the door, Federal or State agents standing there with nice, steel jewelry waiting for them. After a ride in a squad car to the local jail, a night is spent in intense worry and fretting, before the thief finds his or her self before the judge the next day. Then the consequences really begin:
- Embarrassment before your family and the local community who usually had no idea what you were doing
- Termination from your job, if you have one
- Restriction of your rights and ability to do things while your trial goes forward, even if you make bail
- Court dates, lawyer meetings, an end to your reputation with friends
- Conviction, a permanent record, having to answer “yes” to that question on your employment applications in the future - severely limiting your ability to get a job after you get out of prison
- Plenty of time in a 5×8 cell for 3 years or more
- Missing your family and friends, except when they come spend time with you through thick, bullet-proof glass
- Running with a new crowd of friends - namely abusers, murderers, robbers, molesters, white-collar criminals and kidnappers
All of this and more is the identity thief’s to enjoy; eligible from the first moment they begin to assume someone else’s identity for their own personal gain.
