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William Nelson Barnes of Portland, Ore was sentenced to 15 years in state prison for multiple counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument and Obliteration of Identification Numbers on Firearms.
Investigators found that Barnes identity theft activities affected 9,000 people. He used data from a stolen hard drive from a title and mortgage company and stolen U.S. Mail to gather personal data of his victims.
Barnes also opened fraudulent accounts at multiple financial institutions in Oregon and Washington using forged identification. Barnes elaborate scheme included the fraudulent purchase of at least three high dollar vehicles and the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars from financial institutions.
Clackamas County Sheriff deputies also found Barnes with a firearm where the serial number was removed.
The Clackamas County District Attorney’s office charged Barnes with multiple counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument and Obliteration of Identification Numbers on Firearms.
Barnes plead guilty to multiple counts of Aggravated Identity Theft on Dec. 8 before the Honorable Judge Susie Norby in the Clackamas County Circuit Court and received a 15 year sentence to the Department of Corrections.
Barnes was found to be engaged in this elaborate identity theft scheme spanning several years throughout the Puget Sound area in Washington State before moving to the
Portland Metro Area. He still has identity cases pending in Washington State.
Investigating agencies included the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and Portland Police Bureau.