Philadelphia woman sentenced to prison for ID theft

• Philadelphia woman sentenced to prison for ID theft

Yesterday, a Philadelphia woman who pleaded guilty to charges of identity theft earlier this month was sentenced to a year in prison. Courtney Henry, 28, entered a guilty plea in Superior Court on August 11 following her December arrest for trying to withdraw over $7,000 from the victim’s checking account.

In a statement, Beau said that “this punishment fits the crime, and we will continue to prosecute identity thieves with the focus their victims deserve.�

Punishing thieves who steal the identities of Delawareans — and helping victims recover — was one of Beau’s top priorities when he ran for Attorney General in 2006, and he has followed through over the past four years. In addition to targeting identity thieves, Beau worked to implement an Identity Passport in Delaware, which helps victims of identity theft prove who they are to authorities as they work to undo the damage done by the theft. This is one of many areas where Beau is using new crime-fighting strategies to protect Delawareans from new kinds of crime.

For more, check out the coverage in The News Journal, reprinted below.

Delaware courts: ID theft puts Phila. woman in prison

by Terri Sanginiti — A Philadelphia woman who was arrested in December on identity theft charges will spend a year in prison after pleading guilty earlier this month.

Courtney Henry, 28, pleaded guilty on Aug. 11 to identity theft and theft of more than $1,500.

She was sentenced to a year in prison followed by a year’s probation by Superior Court Judge John Babiarz, who also ordered her to have no contact with the victim.

The judge also ordered Henry to repay the $22,600 she stole from the victim.

“This punishment fits the crime, and we will continue to prosecute identity thieves with the focus their victims deserve,” state Attorney General Beau Biden said Tuesday in announcing Henry’s sentence.

Between Dec. 8 and Dec. 14, Henry went to several Wachovia Bank branches with forged withdrawal slips bearing the account number of an actual customer and withdrew large amounts of money.

On Dec. 14 at the Wachovia branch on Naamans Road, Henry presented fake identification belonging to the victim and tried to withdraw $7,900.

But the teller became suspicious and called police, who arrested her.

Prior to her arrest, Henry had withdrawn $22,600 from the victim’s account at other Wachovia branches.