ID theft ring busted, Everett police say
Published 10:25 pm Wednesday, August 26, 2009
EVERETT — Everett police on Monday arrested a man they accuse of being a ringleader in a major identity theft operation that may have victimized hundreds.
Police and federal authorities believe Craig “Smokey” Allan Galey, 34, of Everett created fake licenses using stolen identities, according to police reports and federal court documents. They believe he was behind a high-end ID and check-making lab and worked with accomplices to steal more than $45,000.
Galey and his conspirators fished through mailboxes and surfed the Internet to obtain people’s personal bank account information, court papers said
The man used special software to create fake checks linked to payroll accounts and personal bank accounts, then had his accomplices cash the checks at area casinos and check cashing stores for a cut of the proceeds, U.S. Secret Service special agent Michael Fischlin wrote in a complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
Local and federal officials plan a press conference today to discuss details of the case.
Galey was charged Tuesday with one count of federal bank fraud.
Detectives in Everett have been pursuing Galey for a year, Everett police Sgt. Robert Goetz said. A tip led to the man’s arrest at 4:40 a.m. Monday.
The investigation took hold after a bad check for $1,181.92 was cashed Aug. 19, 2008, at the Iron Horse Casino in Everett, the complaint said. Police tracked down the person who cashed the check, a woman who worked with Galey.
She reportedly said she got the bad check from “Smokey,” who ran a check-producing operation out of an apartment on 132nd Street in Everett.
The accomplice told police Galey instructed her to use the checks to buy things that he intended to sell.
In a November search of Galey’s apartment, detectives found a hoard of ID theft materials, the complaint said. There were 15 counterfeit Washington driver’s licenses. Many featured Galey’s photo but the personal information — the name and address — belonged to victims. Police also seized counterfeit checks and sophisticated computer equipment designed to produce fraudulent checks and fake IDs.
Everett detectives sought Secret Service assistance in May. The Secret Service investigates some counterfeiting cases in addition to its duties protecting the president.
Galey previously was arrested in Snohomish County and charged in May 2008 for possession of stolen property and fraud, court papers show. The charges were later dismissed.
On Monday, Galey was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of six counts of second-degree identity theft, six counts of the manufacturer and sale of forged licenses and six other felony charges.
He was transferred from jail in Everett to a federal detention center early Tuesday morning. Galey’s next federal court date is scheduled for Sept. 1.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.
