Identity Theft Detroys More Than Credit--It Detroys Lives

Lack of due diligence on the part of Richmond, VA's Law Enforcement and Judicial System causes Pentagon employee to lose their job and career. Authorities fail to confirm a criminal suspect's identity prior to officially arresting him and entering him into Virginia's judicial system.

Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) April 3, 2006

Thaddeus Jones (TJ), a seasoned Network Engineering and Information Technology Project Manager, was recently fired from his job at the Pentagon and his Top Secret Clearance stripped because someone stole his identity and was convicted of three felonies. The felonies were for drug trafficking, distribution, and possession. Apparently, the person who stole his identity was arrested and charged with these felonies in Richmond, VA in 2004 but the charges were later dismissed. The imposter had no picture identification and law enforcement authorities never attempted to trace his fingerprints to confirm who he said he was.

Now, one may say what's the big deal? Just prove that you weren't the person who they arrested and everything should be okay. That's easier said than done. There is a long drawn out legal process to follow to right the wrong that has been done. Not only is the process very extensive, it is also expensive if you want to get it done the right way. Besides, the damage has already been done and now TJ has to deal with the reciprocal effects.

His reputation and career has been damaged. Not only did he lose a job paying over $125k per year, he is now in jeopardy of losing his home, car, and life savings. And, because he now has a criminal record, he cannot find adequate employment until he clears the mess up.

Before the fraud was uncovered, TJ was planning to marry and return home to a house he built in Raleigh, NC. For two years, he desperately sought employment in North Carolina in his field. He would always beat out the other candidates and make it to the last interview. In some cases, jobs were offered to him only to be rescinded later for unknown or unspecified reasons. His suspicions led him to believe that his inability to find work in North Carolina was racially motivated; however, he now knows the real reason.

Not being able to find a job in North Carolina, he was forced to travel back and forth to Arizona, Washington, DC, and Columbia, SC. Anywhere he could find work. However, unfortunately for him, every time the results of the background check came back, he was released. This caused him to fall into a state of deep depression.

I attempted to find him work at my company and he was on the verge of being hired, but because of the nature of the industry that I work in, background checks are conducted prior to employment. After he was rejected for employment at my company, I started to get strange looks from my management team as well as my peers. The conversations changed and my integrity was questioned. Now I know why.

A mutual friend of ours recently got TJ a job with his company. Actually, this is how and when the stolen identity case was uncovered. Rather than releasing him, the Human Resources department informed him of the results from the background check and gave him one week to clear it up. Now our mutual friend has to deal with the same stares and integrity questions from his colleagues that I was faced with.

A man's life has not only been ruined by a criminal with obviously nothing to lose, but it has also been ruined by a law enforcement and judicial system that failed to initiate due diligence by not confirming one's identity before charging them with a felony crime. There has to be some legislation in place to force law enforcement agencies to confirm identity of suspects prior to officially charging them with a crime. This will prevent this from happening to anyone else. If not, then there need to be.

With limited resources and no legal representation, TJ is now struggling to repair the damage that was caused, but his time is running out before he becomes homeless and penniless.

More info can be found at:

http://www.blackchameleonmemoirs.com

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