A Glendale lawmaker on Tuesday threw his support behind a bill that
would strengthen the penalties against criminals stealing identities
and give prosecutors more power in convicting and sentencing an
identity thief.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Glendale) testified before a House judiciary
subcommittee during a Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security hearing
in favor of the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act. Schiff told
the subcommittee that cities in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
are prone to such crimes and ranks No. 2 nationally on the top 10
list of regions with the highest per capita rates of identity theft
reported with more than 13,000 victims.
If the bill passes, prosecutors will have the ability to convict
and sentence criminals by creating a new and separate crime of
"aggravated identity theft" for people who use the identity of
another person to commit certain felony crimes. It also provides for
an additional penalty of two years for most felonies and five years
for terror-related felonies.
Darleene Barrientos
