A Pennsylvania couple faces charges of 60 counts of identity theft after authorities said they found dozens of stolen driver's licenses, Social Security cards and W-2 forms in their car.
But the investigation into the couple, 54-year-old Ricardo Dutrieculle and 44-year-old Melissa Hicks, has been turned over to the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Secret Service, Bradley County Sheriff's Office Maj. Jon Collins said.
The couple were pulled over Friday for speeding on Interstate 75 in Bradley County.
The IRS Nashville office wouldn't confirm whether an investigation is under way in the Tennessee case, but officials said any case that involves tax fraud potentially could be investigated and federally prosecuted.
The IRS recently launched a national effort to combat identity theft, said Daniel Boone, a spokesman for the Nashville office.
In January, 105 people were targeted in 23 states as part of a joint operation between the IRS and the U.S. Department of Justice to crack down on tax refund fraud and identity theft, according to a recent IRS news release. The investigation led to 939 criminal charges within the 69 indictments, the release said.
On Friday, a Bradley County detective pulled over a vehicle for speeding on I-75 and asked Dutrieculle, the driver, if the vehicle could be searched, Bradley County sheriff's spokesman Bob Gault said.
The detective found more than 60 different types of identification, including 40 driver's licenses and 24 Social Security cards, Gault said. Some of the IDs were for the same person, he said.
Thirty-eight of the stolen driver's licenses were from Pennsylvania, one was from Florida and one from Maryland, Collins said. There were no local victims.
Authorities also found 45 prepaid Visa cards, including Turbo Tax prepaid cards, and numerous W-2s, authorities said.
The couple, from Braddock, Pa., were jailed and each charged with 60 counts of identity theft. Both were in Bradley County General Sessions Court on Monday, where Dutrieculle's bond was set at $25,000 and Hicks' bond was reduced from $600,000 to $20,000, Gault said.
Dutrieculle also has an active warrant for probation violation in Georgia, Gault said, and remains in jail awaiting extradition.
Staff writer Beth Burger contributed to this story.
Contact staff writer Joy Lukachick at jlukachick@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659.
Joy Lukachick covers crime in North Georgia for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She started working at the paper in July 2009 as an intern. Raised near the Bayou, Joy’s hometown is along the outskirts of Baton Rouge, La. She has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University. While at LSU, Joy was a staff writer for the Daily Reveille. When Joy isn't chasing down stories, she is a full-time supporter of ...
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