Snoqualmie man pleads guilty to five counts of identity theft
August 28, 2008
By J.B. Wogan
Charles Robinson Berry, 31, pled guilty to five counts of identity theft and one count of forgery July 22.
Police initially filed a case alleging that the Snoqualmie man committed more than 150 acts of identity theft and his victims ranged all over the county, residing in Redmond, Bellevue, Mercer Island, Issaquah and Sammamish.
“There is still an ongoing investigation, but we pursued charges where we felt we had probable cause,” said Dan Donohoe, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. While Donohoe said he was skeptical that all 145 acts will be prosecuted, there could be additional charges filed against Berry in the future.
Berry’s sentence was for 29 months in prison. He will receive credit for the 94 days he served in King County Jail.
Donohoe said the sentence was also based on prior felony convictions. Berry had been convicted of possession of stolen mail twice - in 2000 and 2003 – and of attempted theft of rental or leased property in 2007.
All five counts of identity theft were in the second degree. Because each instance of identity theft mentioned in the case never exceeded $1,500, the crimes qualified as class C felonies. The forgery charge is also a class C felony.
Sammamish police filed a case with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office March 19 after six months of collecting evidence. Berry entered the King County Jail System April 15.
His last known address was on Southeast Cedars Street in Snoqualmie, but he has lived in rental properties and hotels in Sammamish, according to Sammamish Police Detective Andreas Kaltsounis.
Among five victims mentioned in the Berry case, one was a Sammamish resident.
In May 2007, a Sammamish man reported that an unknown person stole checks from his mailbox and cashed them for about $760, according to a police document submitted to the court.
The victim said he did not recognize the handwriting on the checks in question, but the checks contained his actual name, address, and bank account number, according to police documents.
Sammamish Police Detective William Albright obtained video surveillance showing a person who matches Berry’s description cashing the victim’s checks at a Rite Aid and QFC, according to the documents.
On Oct. 24, 2007, Sammamish police arrested Berry, searched him and his vehicle, and found several counterfeit Washington driver’s licenses, including one with the Sammamish resident’s name and address.
Kaltsounis said Berry stole checks from residents’ mailboxes, dipped them in a chemical solution to remove the signature and cashed them at local banks. The process is called “check washing,” according to Kaltsounis.
Police allege that Berry committed mail theft first, but since he used items in victims’ mail to misidentify himself and use other people’s money, his crimes fall under the identity theft category.
Berry is prohibited from having contact with any of his victims in the case for five years.
The terms of his sentence also restrict him from consuming alcohol and require him to undergo alcohol or substance abuse treatment.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
Comments
One Response to “Snoqualmie man pleads guilty to five counts of identity theft”
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.
[...] goes after the thieves in earnest- not the local police station, not the bank, not the FTC. But someone did recently get caught for mail theft. I hope it was the ones who took our [...]