Man charged with ID theft

A Bothell man was charged Friday with 15 felony counts related to a police investigation this week that may have broken up a major identity theft ring.

Scott Christopher Moughton, 40, was arrested in an apartment after two alleged mail thieves identified the unit as a location where stolen U.S. mail was brought.

Moughton and a second man, Thomas F. Sproul, 46, were arrested at the apartment in the 18900 block of Bothell-Everett Highway after deputies and federal officials served a search warrant. The men were being held on $250,000 bail.

Moughton was charged in Everett District Court with a variety of crimes relating to identity theft, having false identification, making counterfeit licenses and possessing stolen checks.

The case will have to be moved to Snohomish County Superior Court within a couple weeks if prosecutors intend to pursue it.

Moughton told his apartment manager he lived off royalties for performing with the popular Seattle heavy metal group Queensryche. Band officials said Moughton never played with the group, but he did perform with Queensryche lead singer Geoff Tate on a 2002 solo album.

Investigators found 40 pieces of stolen or false identification when they raided the apartment, including identification for two FBI agents. Found were passports and other documents of people from California, Oregon. Colorado and Washington, court papers say.

The arrests came after deputies nabbed two alleged mail thieves. They told authorities about being in Moughton’s apartment and watching him make an identification card, documents said.

They told officials that Moughton had a laptop computer, printers and other equipment to make checks, Social Security cards and other identification documents. They said Moughton particularly liked bankcards.

Deputies found up to 15 bags of stolen mail in the apartment, and said there could be as many as 300 victims, documents said.

Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.