How many fraudulent transactions would you approve before checking ID?

James Hartman, of Jefferson County, CO, was recently sentenced to 8 years in prison for identity theft. Between May and July of 2006, he spent over $3.2 million dollars using nothing but a photocopy of his brother’s driver’s license and Social Security number.

It was a busy 3 months for Hartman, but June was especially fruitful:

• On June 5th, he bought a pickup truck for $48,000
• On June 10th, he purchased another truck for $49,000
• On June 14th, he upped the ante and bought two Dodge Durangos for $77,000, and
• On June 24th, he bought a Dodge Viper for $94,000.

All of these vehicle purchases were made at Xtreme Performance Center in Longmont, CO.

Hartman also managed to pick up two ATVs, a trailer for all of his new vehicles, two houses and a sizeable lot of mountain property.

The shopping spree didn’t come to an end until Ed Hartman was contacted by a manager at Xtreme. James had attempted to buy an additional $20,000 worth of ATVs and his driver’s license copy (finally) wasn’t good enough to secure the purchase.

But the best part is Hartman’s response: He claims he didn’t commit identity theft, and that his brother knew about the purchases all along.

“Did I go overboard in buying a few vehicles? Probably did,” said Hartman.

When asked if he had conned his brother, Harman replied “If I was a con man, I’d tell you no. You’d still doubt me, so you’re going to have to judge that for yourself.”

We don’t like to point fingers or name names, but if there was an award for “Con man who stole using a family member’s identity” award, Hartman would be in the running. That’s all we’re saying.

Tags: Con man, Identity theft, Photocopies, Vehicle purchases