MEMPHIS, TN -- A Memphis woman is in jail, accused of stealing the identities of as many as 100 people.
Police say 24 year-old Ashley Johnson opened store credit cards using the names of restaurant job applicants. According to arrest documents, the scheme started in December 2008 and Johnson racked up $60,000 on credit cards at stores like Macy’s, Target and JCPenney.
James Young’s daughter applied for a job at the “McAlister’s Deli” restaurant in 2006 in Millington. Young is one of dozens of victims whose social security numbers were stolen off job applications tossed in a dumpster behind the restaurant.
Police say Ashley Johnson went looking for moving boxes, and found the applications in the dumpster.
"I think it was several thousand dollars from Macy’s she got in the mail on the bill and also this woman got four Verizon Wireless cell phones and rang up a big bill on that too,” says James Young.
Johnson was caught inside the Macy's store at Wolfchase Mall Friday, April 10, 2009 trying to open another credit card. Once questioned, she told police she would open credit, then buy merchandise, return it at a different store for gift cards and then sell those gift cards on the street for half price.
A spokesperson for McAlister’s says all restaurants in the Memphis and Shelby County area are franchise owned and it’s up to the individual franchise owner to discard job applications properly. We called all three department stores and Target was the only to return our calls. The spokesperson said Ashley Johnson did not apply for a credit card in the store, but that it was possible she did so by mail.
Johnson is charged with identity theft, forgery and theft. She is being held on a $35,000 bond at Shelby County Jail East. There could be more charges in this case. The Shelby County Sheriff's Office is working with Memphis Police and Bartlett Police. Both departments report active cases with similar circumstances.
