Identity Theft

A Philadelphia man working at a Department of Transportation office in Chester County has been arrested for allegedly providing driver's licenses to fugitives from justice, the Pennsylvania State Police said Wednesday. Khalif Abdullah Ali, 43, was a supervisor at the Malvern Driver License Center in 2010 and 2011 when he allegedly provided the phony licenses, state police said. Ali was charged with conspiracy to commit identity theft, tampering with public records or information, and related offenses.

N. Korea: No U.S. nuclear monopoly SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea said Saturday that "nuclear weapons are not the monopoly of the United States," a day after a U.S. special envoy reported after two days of talks with North Korean officials that there had been no change in their negotiating style on nuclear programs under its new leadership. "The U.S. is sadly mistaken if it thinks it is safe as its mainland is far away across the ocean," said officials in North Korea, which has conducted two nuclear tests since 2006 and has been developing intercontinental ballistic missiles.

A national crackdown on tax-related identity theft last week targeted more than 100 people and led to 58 arrests, according to the IRS and other federal officials. The IRS said it was also stepping up internal reviews to spot false tax returns, and working to help victims of identity theft refund schemes. IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said the crackdown "sends a strong, unmistakable message to anyone considering participating in a refund fraud scheme this tax season. We are aggressively pursuing cases across the nation with the Justice Department, and people will be going to jail.

FOR ALMOST 30 minutes yesterday, embezzler Bonnie Sweeten told a federal judge that she was "very sorry" to all the victims she scammed of more than $1 million over four years. "Not a day that goes by," she said, that she doesn't feel "shame and sorrow" for her actions. "How could I do these things to people that trusted me, to my family?" she asked. At one point, she turned to her parents, who were sitting in the courtroom. "You didn't raise me this way," she said, sobbing. U.S. District Judge William H. Yohn Jr. sentenced her to more than eight years in a federal lockup and ordered her to pay almost $1.1 million in restitution to her victims.

A FEDERAL judge yesterday found that admitted fraudster Bonnie Sweeten ripped off more than $1 million from clients and co-workers at a Bucks County personal-injury law firm where she worked before lying to a 9-1-1 operator about having been abducted and then jetting off to Disney World. That finding and others by U.S. District Judge William H. Yohn Jr. potentially exposes Sweeten to 10 years in prison. Yohn deferred final arguments and sentencing until next Thursday. Sweeten, 41, who has been in federal custody since June 2010, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Bucks County mother and fake kidnap victim Bonnie Sweeten stole $1.076 million, meaning she could face 10 years in prison, U.S. District Judge William H. Yohn Jr. ruled Wednesday. Crossing the $1 million threshold in monetary loss allows federal prosecutors to seek a sentence of 102 to 121 months. A final sentence will not come until next week, when the hearing convenes for a third time. Sweeten, 40, did not speak Wednesday, but in a brief, tearful statement, her father said he could not explain why she turned to crime.

U.S. District Court Judge William H. Yohn Jr. ruled Wednesday that Bucks County mother and fake kidnap victim Bonnie Sweeten stole $1.07 million, meaning she could face 10 years in prison. The one million dollar threshold allows federal prosecutors to seek a sentence of 102 to 121 months. Sweeten may testify before Yohn Wednesday afternoon. Defense attorney James McHugh was unsuccessful at convincing Yohn that Sweeten's former employer, disbarred lawyer Debbie Carlitz, knew of or approved some $100,000 in fraudulent loans.

A former Allentown woman who sought to have a romantic rival killed was sentenced Friday to six years in federal prison. Marissa Mark, 29, hired a hit man on the Internet and tried to pay for the job with stolen credit cards. Mark, who later moved to Jersey City, N.J., pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire, three counts of aggravated identity theft, and attempted access device fraud. In 2006, prosecutors said, she agreed to pay a man $37,000 to kill a woman.

Two Philadelphia residents were arrested Wednesday and a third is being sought on charges of participating in a multistate identity-theft ring, federal authorities said. Arelis Abreu Ramos, age unknown, and Luis Raphael Rodriguez, 40, both living in Philadelphia, were arrested Wednesday. After hearings in U.S. District Court, both men were detained pending removal to Puerto Rico. A third Philadelphia resident, Angel A. Lugo Nieves, 40, was also indicted. He is being sought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.