LifeLock Blog

A Colorado man has been arrested and indicted by a state grand jury for stealing the identities of nearly two-dozen individuals and using their personal information to pass more than $24,000 in forged checks in 10 Colorado counties.

In addition to stealing the identities of real people, Timothy Kuskowski is accused of committing what’s known as “synthetic identity theft,” which involves using some of a real person’s identifying information, and combining it with other entirely fabricated information. In other cases, synthetic identity theft may be committed with only fabricated identifying information.

Kuskowski passed “a plethora” of forged and fraudulent checks between December 2007 and June 2008. Delta Colorado police officers also found many forged checks and multiple ID cards when they arrested Kuskowski last June.

Additional evidence against the accused includes store-surveillance videos, fingerprints and forensic examination of identifying documents and checks.

Among the many checks allegedly passed by the defendant are several fraudulent payroll checks, some made out to the identity theft victims and others made out to fictional names.

Kuskowski, 45, has been charged with the following felonies:

• One count of theft in the amount of $20,000 or more
• 13 counts of identity theft
• 10 counts of forgery
• One count of criminal impersonation

There’s nothing in the 18-page indictment regarding how Kuskowski might have obtained the personal information of the many identity theft victims.