Identity Fraud Indictments

A federal grand jury has indicted a Columbus man and woman on identity theft charges. Prosecutors say 46-year-old Jose Martinez and 40-year-old Mercedes Emelinda-Silie used stolen identities to obtain more than 1-million dollars in income tax refunds between February 2010 and last December. The IRS says the two and their co-conspirators stole identities from people living in Puerto Rico, and had the refunds sent to unused apartment mailboxes in New York. Couriers then brought the checks to Columbus.