A mother, her daughter, son and daughter-in-law accused of buying millions of dollars worth of real estate and cars in an identity theft scam have been jailed in California, the Associated Press reported Friday.
Mildreada Andrews, 45; her daughter, Melanie Marie Andrews, 22; her son, Michael Lee Andrews, 24; and her daughter-in-law, Isis Andrews, 19, were arrested 18 months after they fled Washington State, Bill Hanley, a Palm Springs, Calif., police detective told The Columbian of Vancouver.
Homes worth $3.4 million were involved in the metropolitan area of Vancouver, Wash. and Portland, Ore., Vancouver police officer Detective Edward L. Hewitt told the AP. Hewitt noted that the amounts lost are difficult to determine because of complex mortgage transactions, according to the AP. Cars worth $90,000 were recovered in Vancouver, media accounts said.
Investigators believe the four were stealing identities to use in getting health care jobs, possibly to steal the identities of patients, Hanley told The Columbian of Vancouver.
Family members used their intelligence, charm and religious connections to defraud hundreds of people through complex schemes in Washington and other states over a period of years, Hewitt told AP. The schemes victimized Jehovah’s Witnesses and the elderly, according to media accounts.
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