Pennsylvania Man Charged with ID Theft Targeting DUI Defendants

Federal authorities say a southcentral Pennsylvania man is agreeing to plead guilty to conspiring to use personal information from drunken-driving defendants’ court records in an identity-fraud scheme.

Federal prosecutors said Tuesday that 37-year-old Donald Stoner of Lancaster County used court records from Lancaster and York counties to open fraudulent bank accounts and take out “payday” loans in the victims’ names.

They say there were more than 100 victims, and the scheme generated about $27,000. The criminal information in Stoner’s case says people who paid their fines all at once and hired private lawyers were targeted in the belief that they had better credit.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bruce Brandler expects to charge an alleged co-conspirator shortly.

Stoner’s lawyer wasn’t available for comment at her office.