Security News: Dayton woman charged with federal crimes related to stealing identities of local victims

Source: United States Department of Justice News

DAYTON, Ohio – A Dayton woman was arrested by federal agents this afternoon on charges alleging she has stolen the identities of several young women in the Dayton area and used those identities to commit various types of fraud.

Tiffany Lewis, 29, appeared in U.S. District Court in Dayton today following her arrest.

According to the charging documents, in March and April 2021, Lewis stole the identities of two area women and used their information to obtain approximately $8,000 total in personal loans from Lendmark. Lewis allegedly cashed out those loans at Checksmart locations in Fairborn and Monroe, Ohio. Lewis was photographed at each Checksmart location and is covering her distinctive neck tattoos in each of the photographs.

In June and July 2021, Lewis allegedly used a third stolen identity to commit various acts of fraud.

For example, Lewis allegedly used the victim’s identity to obtain a fraudulent Ohio driver’s license and a car loan for approximately $48,000.

In addition, it is alleged that Lewis used the identity on two separate occasions to rent Chevrolet Silverado trucks from Uhaul in Dayton. One of the trucks was later discovered at Lewis’s residence and had been spray-painted black.

Lewis allegedly used the third victim’s identity to write fraudulent checks at Menards in Fairborn totaling more than $3,500. When questioned at the store by a Fairborn police officer, Lewis presented her fake driver’s license, which was flagged as fraudulent in the officer’s computer.

Lewis is charged with committing Social Security number fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

If you think you may also be a victim of Lewis’s alleged fraud, please contact the Social Security OIG tip line at: 1-800-269-0271.

Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio and Andrew Boockmeier, Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG) announced the charges. The U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshals Service, and Dayton, Fairborn, Whitehall and Riverside police departments all contributed to this investigation.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Landry is representing the United States in this case.

A criminal complaint merely contains allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

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