District Attorney Pete Weir announced that the county grand jury has returned a 68-count indictment dismantling an ID theft ring operating in Jefferson County and the metro Denver area between December 2017 and April 2018. Four men and four women have been named in the indictment. One of the men, Michael John Mancuso, III has been charged with violating the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act (COCCA) by engaging in a pattern of racketeering.
The eight have been indicted on charges of ID Theft, Theft, Conspiracy to Commit Theft, Forgery, Criminal Impersonation, False Information to Pawnbroker, Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft, and Attempted Theft, according to their alleged participation:
Jacob Wyatt Westfall, DOB:2-22-98
Matthew Paul Lane, DOB: 1-22-76
Texie Shannon Lane, DOB: 3-21-83
Dwone Daunte Extor, DOB: 5-28-96
Chelsea Juanita Dix, DOB: 11-19-93
Michael John Mancuso, III, DOB: 11-29-89
Kristina Julie Babe, DOB: 7-28-78
Faith Marie Knight, DOB: 1-30-92
AT LARGE
According to the indictment, members of the enterprise illegally obtained financial and personal information of real people, including names, addresses, credit card numbers, security codes, and expiration dates. Most of the credit card information that was used by the enterprise was from Chase VISA credit cards.
Members of the enterprise would purchase goods and services, including bicycles, jewelry, clothing, motor vehicles, gift cards, and musical equipment using information from the credit cards. Often a member of the enterprise would contact a business by telephone and tell them they wanted to
purchase an item for a relative. They would then provide the credit card information over the phone. Another member of the group would pick up the pre-paid item. They would then sell the items to pawn shops or second-hand stores. Members would be paid, or promised, a fee for each item they sold.
The indictment names 26 merchant victims and 14 individual victims whose credit card information was stolen and used by the enterprise.
The indictment was returned on August 21. Seven of the eight defendants have been arrested. An arrest warrant has been issued for Faith Knight.
The filing of a criminal charge is merely a formal accusation that
an individual has committed a crime(s). A defendant is presumed innocent untiland unless proven guilty. See Colo. RPC 3.6.
