Patricia Ramona Vasquez, Bank and Identity Theft, California

Patricia Ramona Vasquez, 37, of Stockton, has admitted to stealing a relative’s identity to scam banks, buy a car, and open phony accounts — all while racking up charges on someone else’s name. Vasquez pleaded guilty today in federal court to bank fraud, mail fraud, and aggravated identity theft, capping a scheme that unfolded over five months in 2016.

Court documents reveal Vasquez targeted a victim who shared her last name, intercepting mail to gather personal documents and information. Using that data, she created a fake email and forged an identity. On April 4, 2016, she walked into a DMV office in Sacramento and claimed her California driver’s license was lost or stolen — walking out with a legitimate license bearing her photo and the victim’s stolen identifying details.

Armed with the fake ID, Vasquez struck fast. On April 15, 2016, she used the stolen identity to buy a Nissan Altima from a Stockton dealership, securing a $16,703 auto loan from Wells Fargo Bank — all charged to the victim and her creditors. Less than a month later, on May 20, Vasquez opened multiple accounts at Golden 1 Credit Union using the same phony ID, the victim’s Social Security number, date of birth, and her own signature.

Those accounts became pipelines for cash. Vasquez deposited altered and stolen checks, laundering money through the credit union in a brazen bid to profit off her relative’s identity. The fraud went undetected for months, bleeding the victim’s credit and exposing flaws in verification systems at financial and government institutions.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which led the investigation alongside the Stockton Police Department, called the case a textbook example of complex identity theft. San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Rafael Nunez stated, “We are working closely with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners in law enforcement to arrest and prosecute those responsible for complex identity theft and mail fraud schemes.”

Vasquez now faces the full weight of federal sentencing. She is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. on April 27, 2017. The charges carry a maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for bank fraud, 20 years and $250,000 for mail fraud, plus a mandatory two-year consecutive sentence for aggravated identity theft. The final sentence will be determined by the court, weighing statutory factors and federal guidelines.