A Spotsylvania County woman faces up to 15 years in prison after her conviction Tuesday on three counts of identity theft.
Amber Nichole Dahmen, 29, was arrested in December after police followed a paper trail that led back to her.
The investigation started late last year when three women reported that they believed bogus credit cards and bank accounts had been opened in their names, said Spotsylvania Commonwealth’s Attorney Bill Neely.
http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html
Detective Joe Cagnina was able to identify a suspect from a surveillance video after one of the fraudulent cards was used at a local Japanese steakhouse, Neely said.
Cagnina also discovered that Dahmen had opened up a post office box to receive stolen goods.
A search warrant was issued at her home in November and led police to find a laptop and a safe hidden in her closet that contained credit cards, bank account information and stolen mail belonging to at least 20 people.
Dahman admitted that the laptop and safe belonged to her, but denied that any of the fraudulent information was hers, Neely said.
She said anyone who had access to her home could have put the cards in her safe—possibly blaming it on her own mother, who is a convicted felon, or her boyfriend.
Dahman was convicted in 2011 on an embezzlement charge at a Wells Fargo Bank in Fredericksburg where she worked.
She was sentenced to three years with all but three months suspended.
All of the victims in the Spotsylvania identity theft case had banked with Wells Fargo, Neely said.
A sentencing hearing in Spotsylvania Circuit Court is scheduled for July 23.
Her bond was revoked and she is being held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail.
