72-Year-Old Woman Arrested For Using At Least 74 Aliases And Stealing Seven People’s Identities

According to the Los Angeles Times, a 72-year-old woman was arrested for using 74 stolen aliases. Detective Danny Gore of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in all his 20 years in law enforcement, he has never seen a case like this one.

Over the last five years, Cathryn Parker has been using at least multiple aliases and has stolen seven people’s identities.

Parker targeted people who worked in the Hollywood area where she lives. She didn’t go after actors and actresses, but she allegedly used aliases to con production staff members into letting her on a film set.

She reportedly paid her bills under false names, and she got credit cards in other people’s names with their financial information.

Fox News reported that Cathryn Parker was arrested over a week ago when she was stopped for a traffic violation. When she did not give the traffic officer her real name, she was arrested. After an investigation, the police found out the woman was using an alias to rent her house. When her house was searched, it was discovered that she had been using at least 74 aliases. Gore said it’s a way of life for Parker to use aliases and steal other people’s identity over the last 15 years. She has been described as a master con artist.

Parker is in federal custody in Northern California for the recent arrest. She was already wanted for probation violations. In 2000, she was arrested for federal mail fraud in Hawaii.

After Parker serves time in Northern California, she will have to stand trial in Los Angeles County for the seven alleged identity thefts.

Though the current victims only date back to 2012, Detective Gore said he believes there could be identity thefts going back much further. Police believe the 15 years of identity thefts would have continued if Parker hadn’t been stopped for a traffic violation.

When hearing about this case, the question has come up, “Is it illegal to use an alias?” According to a website that answers legal questions, using an alias is not illegal unless it is used to defraud or to commit a crime. Parker was using aliases to steal people’s identities and their financial information. Therefore, what she was doing was criminal. What raised a red flag was that the woman used so many aliases. She is 72 years old, and she used 74 aliases. When one thinks about it, she was using one alias for each year of her life with two to spare.

[Image via Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department via Los Angeles Times]