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Arrest made in US theft ring that hit Bernankes

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-02 01:56

MIAMI:A woman described by a federal agent as a heroin addict with a stash of wigs was arrested in Miami on charges of being part of an identity theft ring that targeted the wife of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Shonya Michelle Young of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was arrested Monday night at a hotel near Miami International Airport on a warrant charging her with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, US Marshals spokesman Barry Golden said Tuesday.

Young is charged in Virginia with being part of a theft ring that stole millions of dollars from the bank accounts of hundreds of people nationwide. Among them was Anna Bernanke, the wife of the Fed chief, whose purse containing checks from the couple's account was stolen from a Washington coffee shop.

Young carried a New York driver's license and debit card, both with a fake name, though not Anna Bernanke's name, Golden said.

Federal marshals tracked her to the Miami hotel and, as they handcuffed her, her cellphone rang, Golden said. He said Young told them she was a longtime heroin addict and complained to them, "Why couldn't you come 30 minutes later? That was my heroin supplier."

In her room, they found several wigs, which Golden said she used as disguises.

"She is a major check casher as part of this whole identity theft ring. Her job as part of the criminal enterprise is to impersonate the victims and obtain fraudulent ID and to basically drain the victim's bank account," Golden said.

Young was the eighth or ninth person arrested in the theft ring, and at least six more were at large, he said.

It was unclear how much money was stolen from the Bernankes. Court documents, which identified victims only by their initials, said another defendant had fraudulently drawn $900 from the personal account of "BB."