A Sioux Falls woman accused of using her 5-year-old’s social security number to set up cable and electricity service last year has been indicted for identity theft.
Ann Arnell Anderson, 36, allegedly used the child’s information in September 2013 to set up service with Midcontinent Communications and Xcel Energy, court documents say.
The accounts were both closed as delinquent by December of that year, with an unpaid balance of $1,546 owed to both companies.
The fraud came to the attention of police after the child’s foster father called the companies to ask about the debt they had attributed to Anderson’s 5-year-old daughter.
http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html
Anderson reportedly told officers that she had used her daughter’s identity to set up electricity service, but that she had used her husband’s name to set up Midcontinent service.
When asked about the charges on Thursday, Anderson said “they need to prove that” before hanging up the phone.
A grand jury indicted Anderson on two counts of identity theft Wednesday after hearing testimony from the foster father and a detective with the Sioux Falls Police Department. Each count carries up to two years in prison.
