A Cedar Rapids woman was arrested Tuesday on 26 charges related to identity theft, forgery and fraud.
Between April 2020 and October 2021, Jennifer Lynn Smith, 44, reportedly assumed the identities of several people from around the United States -- some of whom had similar names to her -- and established multiple financial accounts causing losses to various banks, credit unions, and other businesses.
According to criminal complaints, she used someone else’s identity to purchase a vehicle for $8,821.45 with a fraudulent check, and to secure a rental agreement, which caused the property owner to lose more than $10,000.
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She also allegedly got a fraudulent credit card online which she used in purchases resulting in a more than $20,000 loss to GreenState Credit Union.
She reportedly cost the credit union another $10,000 by establishing a checking and savings account and a credit card in the name of another person. She used that same person’s name to make a CashApp account into which she transferred more than $10,000 from GreenState Credit Union.
Smith used another person’s identity to establish a line of credit at Collins Community Credit Union, causing that credit union to lose more than $10,000, and deposited three stolen checks into a fraudulent Capital One account, which she used to make more than $1,500 worth of purchases, according to the complaints.
Yet another person’s identity was reportedly used to get an auto loan from Dupaco Credit Union that was worth more than $1,500, and to establish service at her residence through Alliant Energy and MidAmerican Energy, costing both companies less than $1,500.
Smith allegedly altered and forged a rental lease extension with the Clerk of Court to stay at her Cedar Rapids residence and used one of her stolen identities to complete an online purchase for a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service.
Cedar Rapids Police began investigating Smith in November 2021 when an outside agency notified the department that a victim’s identity was used with the intent to defraud.
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The investigation required the cooperation of many law enforcement agencies and private businesses, according to a news release from the police department.
Smith had her initial appearance in court Wednesday and is being held in the Linn County Jail on a $100,000 bond. The complete list of the charges against her are:
- Four counts of forgery
- Four counts of identity theft of more than $10,000
- Four counts of identity theft under $1,500
- Three counts of identity theft of more than $1,500 and under $10,000
- Three counts of second-degree theft
- Two counts of first-degree theft
- Two counts of unauthorized use of credit card
- One count of third-degree fraud
- One count of possession of a fictitious license, ID card or form
- One count of ongoing criminal conduct
- One count of money laundering
Cedar Rapids woman arrested on 26 charges related to theft
Between April 2020 and October 2021, Jennifer Lynn Smith, 44, reportedly assumed the identities of several people from around the United States, and established multiple financial accounts, causing losses to banks, credit unions and other businesses.
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