ADDICTS TURN TO IDENTITY THEFT TO SUPPORT HABITS

More and more methamphetamine users are turning to identity theft as
a way to pay for their illicit drug habits, law enforcement officials say.

The problem has become so rampant in Riverside County that it "very
likely" helped boost the county to No. 2 on the Federal Trade
Commission's list of areas with the most incidents of identity
theft, according to Steven Counelis.

A Riverside County deputy district attorney, Counelis specializes in
prosecuting computer and technology crimes.

"My experience with the cases I've prosecuted leads me to believe
there is a strong anecdotal connection between meth abuse and
identity theft and that ranking," he said.

Meth is the leading drug of choice in Riverside County, according to
law enforcement officials.

And in the Coachella Valley, it has contributed to an overall
increase in property crime - including mail theft, credit card theft
and other forms of identity theft - because addicts need a way to
pay for their drug, according to authorities.

"Stolen mail is used as currency," Counelis added.

He pointed to the case of Terry Reed, who was convicted in 2004
after he pleaded guilty to 24 criminal charges, including multiple
counts of burglary and forgery as well as charges of possession of a
forged driver's license or identity card and possession of meth.

A judge ordered him to serve one year and four months in prison,
according to court records.

Counelis, who prosecuted Reed, said investigators found him inside a
motel room in Murietta.

Besides evidence of meth use, investigators found that Reed had a
computer, a scanner and computer software that creates checks. He
also had stolen checks, forged checks and stolen mail that was used
to create the bogus checks.

"He could stay up all night and use the computer and scanner to scan
driver's licenses and credit cards and then manipulate those with
the software he had to make fake checks and credit cards," Counelis said.

Reed's actions, he said, affected four victims.

Property, not blood To those who commit this kind of infraction,
identity theft is a bloodless crime.

"It's so appealing to meth users because it's a property crime,"
said Commander Fred Fierro of the Coachella Valley Narcotics Task
Force, which investigates street-level drug sales throughout
the valley. "They know it carries a lesser penalty than a violent
crime. And they figure that a judge is more likely to give them
probation if they're convicted because the prison cell needs to go
to the killer or the violent criminal."

He said that several months ago, members of the La Quinta Special
Enforcement Team made arrests in a local residential burglary ring
and found that most of those arrested were meth users.

During the arrests, Fierro said, the same investigators also found
stolen mail that had been taken from Coachella Valley mailboxes.

Some of that mail belonged to a Riverside County deputy district
attorney who works with Counelis.

He couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday, but according to The
Associated Press, he had no idea his mail had been taken.

Watch your mailbox Stealing mail is the simplest form of identity
theft, authorities said.

"They collect it and try and use it," Fierro said. "Think about all
the credit card applications mailed out to people during the holiday
season. You have to be vigilant and pay attention to your mail and
your finances. Some dealers will barter and trade meth for whatever
property the addict has. Some only take jewelry. Some only take
credit cards. Some will take anything."

And while the criminals may consider identity theft a somewhat minor
crime, victims consider it one of the most egregious violations
anyone can experience.

Take Robert Burdick, a Desert Hot Springs resident whose identity,
along with almost everything he owned, was stolen three years ago
while he was in the hospital.

Burdick, who is a paraplegic, has said that he sometimes still feels
unsafe in his home and has problems sleeping because he fears he'll
never be safe again.

In July, during a court appearance for the woman who was arrested
and charged with, essentially, stealing Burdick's life, he told a
Riverside County judge that he had thought he was safe because
relatives were taking care of his house and his finances while he
was hospitalized.

However, thieves noticed that newspapers had piled up at his front
door, and they figured the house was empty.

Thieves took everything Soon, not only were Burdick's money, credit
cards and car gone, but the thief also stole all of his furniture
and appliances and even the light fixtures on the outside of his house.

Counelis, who is prosecuting the case, has called it one of the most
egregious cases of identity theft in the desert.

Tammy Parham, the North Palm Springs woman accused of stealing from
Burdick, is scheduled to go to trial Jan. 30.

Her attorney, Mickie Reed, has said that her client admits her
involvement but refuses to accept a plea agreement offered by the
prosecution because she would have to admit to things she didn't do.

She has not been charged with any meth-related crimes in connection
with the Burdick case; however she has come into contact with meth,
according to court records.

In 1998, Parham was convicted of possession of meth for sale,
according to court records.

So far, California laws still classify some identity theft crimes as
misdemeanors, officials said.

A plan that proposed to make possession of more than two stolen
identities a felony stalled in the state Assembly Appropriations
Committee in May.

John Crounse, a Riverside County sheriff's detective with the Palm
Desert station, urged residents to pay attention to their financial
statements and never give out information over the phone.

Crounse, who investigates financial crimes, said the only defense
against this kind of crime is to check your credit statements and
bank accounts regularly.

"Anyone can be a victim," he said.

Ned Charles, 68, of Palm Desert said he does not intend to become a victim.

"I've bought myself a shredder for Christmas," he said. "I intend to
get a lot of use out of it."