California police arrest man accused of ID theft from 15-plus people after traffic stop
Deputies arrested a man last week in Placer County after they found documents belonging to more than 15 identity theft victims from multiple states following a traffic stop.
A deputy stopped a vehicle around 10:15 a.m. March 30 on westbound Interstate 80 near Highway 49, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Thursday.
The deputy searched the vehicle, finding more than a gram of methamphetamine along with a laptop case that contained “numerous personal documents belonging to multiple victims,” sheriff’s officials wrote.
The search also turned up a notebook with one page titled, “4 ways to Hack ATM,” followed by a handwritten list of instructions; photo IDs of two suspects along with fake names; a large duffel bag with more documents belonging to “dozens” of other victims; and blank checks along with equipment used to print checks.
All told, the identity theft documents spanned more than 15 victims across “several” states in the West, authorities said.
The Sheriff’s Office arrested 53-year-old John Charles Fitzgerald on suspicion of possession of personal identity information with intent to defraud 10 or more people, as well as a no-bail warrant out of Colorado, according to the Facebook post.
Fitzgerald remains in custody at the Auburn Main Jail awaiting extradition into custody of the Colorado State Patrol, Placer County booking records show.
Sheriff’s officials did not identify or specify potential charges for other occupants of the vehicle.
This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 10:05 AM with the headline "California police arrest man accused of ID theft from 15-plus people after traffic stop."
