Chris Harvey Sayler, Identity Theft, Washington 2019

Tacoma – A 72-year-old Olalla man is under arrest on a criminal complaint charging him with aggravated identity theft and access device fraud for his scheme to steal the identity and income of his missing brother.

CHRIS HARVEY SAYLER allegedly began fraudulently collecting his missing brother’s Social Security Disability benefits by at least 1998. Over the last twenty years, those benefits total more than $400,000.

According to the complaint, CHRIS SAYLER’s brother, Jarvis L. Sayler, traveled from his home in Missouri to the Vancouver, Washington area in 1988. He told relatives that he planned to visit CHRIS SAYLER, then return to Missouri to build a home on property there. Jarvis Sayler was born with partial eyesight, and had been receiving Social Security disability benefits since 1977.

CHRIS SAYLER made his initial appearance on the criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in Tacoma today. He remains detained pending a further hearing on Friday, October 4, 2019.

Access device fraud is punishable by up to ten years in prison. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum two-year sentence to run consecutive to any other sentencing in the case.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office is interested in hearing from anyone who has information on Jarvis Sayler and his disappearance. Contact Detective Jon Shields at 564-397-2120.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/olalla-wa-man-arrested-scheme-steal-identity-and-social-security-benefits-missing