Athletes victim of ID theft

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http://www.post-trib.com/news/crime/181755,Dumpester.article

 

Athletes victim of dumpster diver

Fradulent IDs created

 

December 21, 2006

By ART PETERSON Sun-Times News Group

A dumpster-diving Chicagoan has been charged with stealing financial data of sports figures, including Cubs and Sox players.

 

David Dright, 38, of the 5200 block of West Chicago Avenue, has been charged with stealing the financial identities of 23 people, authorities said Wednesday. Evidence also indicates Dright used birth announcements and death notices of infants to try to create fictitious financial accounts, they said.

 

The investigation started in Lincolnshire, where 61-year-old resident Al Vermeil told police someone had made repeated attempts to make fraudulent purchases using his credit card numbers, name and Social Security number.

 

Vermeil is in his 21st year as strength and conditioning consultant with the Chicago Bulls professional basketball team, headquartered in Deerfield. He has also worked with many other pro and college athletic teams, including the Chicago White Sox baseball team.

 

Joining in the investigation were the Lake County State’s Attorney’s office, the Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Service and the Chicago Police Department.

 

The trail led investigators to the dumpster at SFX Baseball in Northbrook, where agents work who negotiate contracts for many professional sports figures.

 

Victims of Dright’s alleged efforts include more than a dozen Major League Baseball players, among them Jim Thome, Moises Alou, Juan Pierre, Andres Gallarraga, Pedro Astacio, Terry Pendleton and Larry Walker, according to authorities.

 

Patricia Fix, chief of the cyber crimes division in the state’s attorney’s office, said "many of the victims are not Lake County residents," and additional charges may be filed in Cook County or elsewhere.

 

Investigators will be contacting the Major League Baseball Players’ Association.

 

Prosecutor Joseph Fusz said investigators, while executing a search warrant at Dright’s apartment, found "hundreds of financial documents," including credit applications for 23 persons, birth notices and death announcements.

 

Fix said investigators have not yet found evidence of actual purchases made by Dright with fraudulent documents, but the investigation is continuing, adding, "He’s made at least 100 attempts." Among the items seized was a new credit card issued in Thome's name.

 

Dright has had three prior arrests for larceny.

 

Associate Judge Valerie Ceckowski set bond at $250,000 and scheduled a status of attorney hearing for Dec. 27.