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ID theft case with a Napa twist
Saturday, March 29, 2008
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3 p.m.In Philadelphia, police consider her half of what they call the “Bonnie and Clyde of Identity Theft.” In Napa, she is a barista at a coffee house.

Jocelyn Kirsch, along with one-time boyfriend Ed Anderton, faces serious charges in Philadelphia of stealing her neighbors’ identities and using them to obtain fraudulent credit cards. She now works at a coffee house in Napa, the city the Federal Trade Commission considers the identity theft capital of the country.
Is Napa the Identity Theft capital of the U.S.?

On Dec. 7, 2007, Philadelphia police arrested Kirsch and Anderton on suspicion of several crimes including identity theft, burglary, unlawful use of a computer and forgery. Kirsch, who is out on bail pending a May 12 court date in Philadelphia, moved in with family members in Novato shortly after her arrest.
Kirsch has not been charged with any crime in Napa, though she twice has pleaded guilty to theft elsewhere, according to Philadelphia police.

She could not be reached for this story, and her Philadelphia attorney and members of her family declined comment.
But Terry Sweeney, a detective in the Philadelphia Police Department, says Kirsch’s Napa job represents “a big leap forward. She’s currently under supervision. She has a court date up and coming. She’s trying to prove she’s an upstanding and legitimate member of society. She’s probably one of the safest employees ... just because so many people are watching her.”

The Philadelphia Police Department say they caught up with Kirsch and Anderton on Nov. 30, 2007, at a UPS Store in what’s known as the University section of Philadelphia.

Kirsch and Anderton were there to pick up packages containing lingerie and chocolates that they obtained with stolen credit cards, according to Sweeney.

“Their trail was like (following) a bleeding elephant in a snow storm,” Sweeney said. “This isn’t a case of outstanding police work ... these two made it easy.”

According to Sweeney, a woman alerted her credit card company after noticing some fraudulent charges on her statement, charges later attributed to Kirsch and Anderton. Another woman, a hairstylist in the Philadelphia area, reported to police that Kirsch had passed a phony check worth $1,700 for hair extension work.

Since the arrest, several news outlets have reported on Anderton and Kirsch, including Rolling Stone magazine. According to the Philadelphia Daily News, Kirsch, 22, was a Drexel University student and former member of the sorority Delta Phi Epsilon. Anderton, 25, is a 2005 graduate of University of Pennsylvania.

Sweeney said that Kirsch and Anderton first began stealing identities when they met, in the winter of 2006.

He said a search of the couple’s apartment yielded four computers; an industrial laminating machine that police said the couple used to make phony identification cards; three safes; $18,000 worth of cash; dozens of phony ID cards; keys to apartments in their complex along with keys to the outside mailboxes; and documents belonging to their neighbors.
15 comment(s)

cagirl wrote on Mar 29, 2008 5:01 PM:

" I know she is entitled to her privacy, but why write the story if you won't tell us where she works---I have been through the hell of identity theft and will NEVER enter a business this person works--I believe people have the right to know where she is operating in our community-- "

Two Cents wrote on Mar 29, 2008 6:47 PM:

" I agree with cagirl... we have a right to know where this girl works. I find it appalling that any place in Napa would hire someone like this.. a person in the middle of a court battle for identity theft. Now she works in an environment where she has more access to more credit cards. This is outrageous.
I plan on doing my own little bit of detective work to find out who this chick is and which coffee house she works at. I suggest everyone else do the same and then not patronize this business as long as she is an employee. "

MarkMiwords wrote on Mar 29, 2008 8:56 PM:

" Never take your eyes off of your credit and debit cards. With the advent of cell phone cameras, it only takes a moment for a crook to snap a photo of your card. Cagirl and Two Cents are right & I won't be buying any coffee in Napa for a while. "

steph wrote on Mar 29, 2008 9:37 PM:

" If you search for " ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ Jet-Setters, Living With Parents, Await Hearing" you'll find a Fox News article that lists the famous green Seattle coffee shop brand she works for. Now, which one is it? I think I'll go to Peet's or Whole Foods for a while. "

comment wrote on Mar 30, 2008 2:48 AM:

" So let me get this straight, all of you think she should not be allowed to be a normal member of society while she is awaiting her trial? That makes no sense. Why would you stay away from this particular Starbucks unless this girl was allowed to ring up transactions? She can't steal your identity just by looking at you a certain way. "

supernova8610 wrote on Mar 30, 2008 9:34 AM:

" It's pretty pathetic that I had to go to an out of state newspaper to find out where this girl worked. "

news12 wrote on Mar 30, 2008 10:15 AM:

" Google Jocelyn Kirsch and Philadelphia Daily News and you will get links explaining the case.

"

donnaitalia wrote on Mar 30, 2008 3:26 PM:

" Why, when and how did Napa become the "identity theft capital of the country"? Pretty scary. We had all better be monitoring our credit reports. Also, it sounds like this young woman had golden opportunities handed to her that others have to work hard and struggle for. She chose to use her brains and opportunities for quick access to luxuries. What a sad commentary on her short life. "

napagirl8 wrote on Mar 30, 2008 10:34 PM:

" i'm sorry but this conversation seems a little ridiculous. i think you're overreacting and are just looking for a reason to complain. i work with jocelyn and i am still having a hard time believing that this was actually her. she's a very interesting, intelligent person. she was not the only person involved in these crimes and yes, identity theft is a big issue these days but her case is one of SEVERAL in this country. the only reason her story is getting so much publicity is because she is an attractive girl, she comes from a good family and is really very smart. when i look at jocelyn, i don't see a criminal, at the end of the day she is a human being just like the rest of us, just trying to live her life. she doesn't deserve to have her private life strewn across the media and discussed by people who don't know her at all. "

4gnapan wrote on Mar 30, 2008 11:04 PM:

" so.. she's now working in a public place, where credit cards are passed through her hands on a daily basis?

scary. "

pernodboi wrote on Mar 31, 2008 10:58 AM:

" More and more I am using cash - cuts down on the paranoia of using a credit card all the time. If there is any theft with cash the burden would be on the bussiness, not the individual - and it's nicer to tip in cash. "

psychochik wrote on Mar 31, 2008 12:16 PM:

" What exactly was wrong with my last comment ??

I stated that criminals look the same as the rest of us and I wont be purchasing from that store with my card while shes employed there.

I go to the Starbucks everyday, I should be able to state my opinion of her if she has access to mine and my friends credit card info.

"

Two Cents wrote on Mar 31, 2008 3:37 PM:

" Napagirl8... Im sorry but apparently the fact that she's your friend has clouded your vision of reality. Its too bad you are "having a hard time believing that its actually her" because the sad fact is that IT IS HER.
Your "friend" stole over $100,000 in one calendar year alone, from people that trusted her. She broke into apartments, stole credit cards, took money away from the hard working people who earned it. All so she and her boyfriend could travel all over the world and pay for her plastic surgery on someone elses dime.
Get a grip! Maybe you are not old enough to understand the impact that having your identity taken and your credit ruined does to your life.
In the meantime, I'd keep your purse close to you when in the company of your dear friend, otherwise you may just experience first hand what the big uproar is all about.
Since you are having a hard time believing what shes all about, and clearly the Register isnt going to print it, why dont you google her name and read the first couple of articles that come up. Maybe then you'll see your friend in a new light... "

funnyme wrote on Apr 1, 2008 6:07 AM:

" napagirl8, it looks like you need to have another cup of coffee to make sure you are totally awake. You sound asleep.
If STEALING $100K doesn't sound like much to you, maybe you'd like to start a fund in your friends name and return the stolen money to the true victims of your friend's crimes.; that might clear her name and keep her job as barista in this ticked off community called Napa. "

commentgirl wrote on Apr 11, 2008 12:35 PM:

" go to yahoo and search Jocelyn Kirsch and Philadelphia Daily News and you can even see a picture of them... "

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