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Organization: Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station
Date: December 10, 2008
Identity Thief Found Guilty — Sentenced to State Prison
Commit Crime? Not in the Santa Clarita Valley — After an extensive investigation and case filing by the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's Commercial Crimes Bureau-Forgery Fraud Unit, a Los Angeles man, Dennis Franklin, MB/28, plead guilty to forgery and identity theft charges in San Fernando Superior Court on Tuesday, December 2, 2008. Franklin was sentenced to 16 months in state prison and was ordered to pay $63,000 in restitution for involvement in several incidents of forgery and identity theft.
His crime spree came to an end on Thursday, September 13, 2007, when he decided to visit a Santa Clarita bank and attempt similar crimes. Acting on information provided by an alert bank teller, deputies from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station swooped in and took Franklin into custody as he attempted to walk away from the bank in the 23900 block of Valencia Boulevard. At the time of his arrest, Franklin was in possession of a fake Nevada Driver's License, as well as a credit card, and a Social Security card belonging to one of the victims. Franklin was booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station on several felony charges including Commercial Burglary, Forgery, Possession of a Fraudulent Drivers License, Possession of Fraudulent Access Cards, Possession of a Counterfeited State Seal, and Identity Theft.
After the investigation was assigned to the Sheriff Department's Commercial Crimes Bureau, it didn't take long for detectives to determined that Santa Clarita wasn't the only area Franklin had visited. Through the investigation it was determined that Franklin was involved in several incidents of forgery and identity theft involving at least 8 victims and more than 20 banks, from Sacramento to San Diego, where he managed to withdrawal approximately $100,000 from bank accounts belonging to unsuspecting victims.
Franklin still faces similar charges in Walnut Springs California and could be facing even more prison time. He has been ordered to surrender to the court on January 20, 2009 to begin serving his sentence.
The investigation is ongoing and there is no further information at this time. Anyone with information regarding this suspect or these cases is asked to immediately contact the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station at (661) 255-1121 or report tips anonymously as indicated below. -ref 07-17273
If You See Something, Say Something! Report non-emergency crime anonymously by visiting the following link: Crime Tips or calling (661) 284-2-TIP / (661) 284-2847.
