Windsor Locks police have arrested a New York woman who is accused of stealing another woman’s identity and using it to take out a $15,000 personal loan from a local credit union.
Tameka Inge Lee Charles, 41, told police that for her part in the scheme, in which others were also involved, she received about $1,000.
Charles is facing charges of first-degree identity theft and second-degree larceny, and is free after posting $100,000 bond.
The affidavit supporting Charles’ arrest provides the following details:
The investigation began in April 2020 when a woman reported to police that someone had used her identity to open an account an apply for loan from the 360 Federal Credit Union on Ella Grasso Turnpike.
Through speaking with an employee, police learned that in March the credit union had received an online application for a loan using the woman’s name, address, social security number, and date of birth. It had approved the loan and asked the applicant to come into the credit union to complete paperwork.
The woman who arrived, later determined to be Charles, received a $5,000 check and a debit card for the new account where the remainder of the loan was deposited.
It was later determined that the driver’s license Charles presented was fraudulent and that she was markedly different in appearance from the woman whose identity she was using.
The investigation stalled for a time during the pandemic, but police met with the victim again at the end of 2020. She confirmed that the phone number and email address listed on the loan documents didn’t belong to her.
Charles’ name was connected to the other number, and after locating a copy of Charles’ driver’s license photograph, the police recognized her as the woman who had gone to the credit union.
The search warrant for the email address used in the application turned up a second email address that used an unrelated person’s name. Police contacted her, and she explained that her identity also had been stolen and a loan taken out in her name.
Windsor Locks police contacted investigators in New York, where the woman lived, who provided a picture of the suspect in their case. It was Charles.
In February police traveled to New York to speak with Charles, who agreed to a meeting. Police confronted Charles with the pictures of her at the credit union and said she needed to explain her involvement and identify who else was involved.
Charles admitted that her role was to complete the loan application and secure the loan, and in return she received about $1,000.
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