ARLINGTON — The investigation began in a dumpster.
That’s where Arlington police officer Mike Phillips recovered stolen mail, checks and fake identification early one morning in March.
Intermixed with the discarded documents was what amounted to a golden nugget for detectives. It was paperwork that included the name of a prolific identity thief, an Arlington man with hazel eyes and a robust rap sheet. It also implicated the man’s nephew.
Robert Walter Long, 49, was arrested late last week for investigation of 70 counts of fraud, identity theft and possessing stolen property.
There could be up to 100 victims, detectives believe.
“I know that there are more,” said Margaret Ludwig, a Snohomish County sheriff’s detective assigned to a multi-agency North County Property Crime Unit.
The investigation turned up cases in Snohomish, Island, Skagit and King counties.
Arlington police went to the suspect’s home in late March. Long was gone but officers found stolen checks and identifications in a wallet left behind. They recovered more stolen mail, checks and I.D.s after obtaining a search warrant for his car.
Police caught up with Long on Friday. He allegedly admitted to stealing mail and to having others do the same for him. He’d allegedly churned out phony I.D.s that he’d presented to businesses when cashing doctored checks.
Long reportedly was cavalier at times.
Detectives found instances where he altered and passed some checks with women’s names and identification but had used his picture for identification, court papers said.
Long apparently sensed police were on to him. At one point, they found printouts in his garbage explaining how to change one’s identity and get way with it, according to court papers.
When he was arrested, Long allegedly had two fake I.D.s in his wallet. He’d dyed his brown hair black.
He allegedly told Ludwig he knew she was looking for him and he was preparing to flee the state.
Long has 23 previous convictions, mainly for forgery, I.D. theft and possessing stolen property. He’s done two stints in prison, according to state Department of Corrections records.
Long was part of a huge Snohomish County forgery and identity theft ring that was cracked about 15 years ago.
At the time, he admitted to forging roughly 75 checks in and around the county. After he was released from jail pending trial, he admitted to cashing about 50 more counterfeit checks, according to court records. He said at the time he was forging checks to obtain drugs.
Long is being held in the Snohomish County Jail on $100,000 bail for the newest round of allegations.
Identity theft costs tens of billions of dollars a year nationwide.
“People need to think more about protecting themselves,” Ludwig said.
She cautions against sending checks through the mail.
Other things to consider include getting a locked mailbox, not carrying a Social Security card and leaving behind credit cards and I.D. cards that aren’t needed.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
