Active-duty Army reservists victims of identity theft; 2 men arrested
Two men were arrested in connection with the identity theft of U.S. Army Reserve officers who were on active duty in Afghanistan, authorities said.
Mauro Cortez, 25, and Rigoberto Cortez, 29, were arrested Wednesday after the Los Angeles County Identity Theft Task Force served a search warrant at a home in Pomona, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The men were allegedly provided the identity information of more than five U.S. Army Reserve officers who were serving overseas in Afghanistan and then used it to establish lines of credit and buy cars. Deputies found evidence at the home allegedly linking the Cortez men to the identity theft.
The loss is estimated to be more than $100,000.
The information was stolen and given to the Cortezes by another U.S. Army reservist who is on active duty, but it was not immediately known whether the reservist had also been arrested, according to the sheriff’s department.
The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command out of Kandahar, Afghanistan, also helped in the investigation.
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