Galesburg police say they’ve arrested two women for identity theft.
In one case, Christine Greene, 25, was found to have personal identity information for 37 people in Knox County and elsewhere, according to Knox County State’s Attorney Jeremy Karlin.
That includes dates of birth, driver’s license information, social security numbers, banking information, email passwords, and login information for apps such as Venmo and CashApp.
For victims over the age of 60, Greene is charged with aggravated identity theft.
In the other case, Diane Wall, 57, is charged with multiple counts of theft. She’s also charged with identity theft in excess of $500,000.
Police said the investigation began a year ago when authorities discovered a significant amount of unemployment benefits being mailed to an address in Galesburg.
The U.S. Inspector General’s Office and the Knox County State’s Attorney’s Office also participated in the investigation.
Authorities said Wall appears to be part of a much larger criminal enterprise involving more people.
Karlin said identity theft is not a new problem, but he is alarmed by the increasing frequency of local cases.
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