EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 42-year-old man has been arrested after authorities found over 150 counterfeit documents and instruments in his vehicle, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday afternoon, March 26.
The Sheriff’s Office said Richard Allen Jenkins, 42, was arrested and charged with more than 50 counts of fraudulent use/possession of identifying information.
In addition, he was also charged with theft of mail and forgery of a financial instrument. Jenkins was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility with a $45,000 bond, the Sheriff’s Office added.
The Sheriff’s Office said that on Tuesday, March 25, a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop at the 12800 block of Thackery Drive in far East El Paso.
During the traffic stop, the deputy “developed a probable cause to search the vehicle” and found several forged driver’s licenses, identification cards, and over 150 counterfeit documents and instruments in Jenkin’s vehicle, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The following items were seized from Jenkin’s vehicle, according to the Sheriff’s Office:
- 39 forged Driver’s Licenses
- 16 blank, print-ready ID cards
- Four Social Security cards
- 10 W-2 forms
- Four 1099-NEC forms
- Two 1095-C employer health insurance forms
- Two 1098-T forms
- One 1099-R form
- 18 forged checks
- 25 check copies
- 12 blank check backgrounds
- One blank checkbook
- One signature stamp
- One bill of sale valued at $69,900
- One laptop with forging software
- One printer for IDs and forged checks
- Five USB drives
- Two cellphones
- Eight credit cards
- Four debit cards
- 10 pieces of mail belonging to other individuals
- 12 sets of stolen account/Social Security numbers
- 22 mail padlock shims
- 47 mail and skeleton keys
- One USPS mailbox
- Two fraudulent U.S. passports (One underage, one deceased)
According to the Sheriff’s Office, detectives with the East Montana Patrol Station have reached out to all identified victims, many of whom have reported mail theft incidents.
Most victims resided in apartment complexes, and several reported fraudulent credit cards had been activated in their names, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The East Montana Patrol Station has partnered with the U.S. Postal Inspector and additional state and federal charges are pending, according to the Sheriff’s department.
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