A Suwanee woman accused of being a mid-level player in a multi-million dollar identity theft ring won't be going home from jail anytime soon.
Gwinnett County Magistrate Judge William Brogdon bound seven charges against Annette Ford over to Superior Court and denied bond in her case on Friday. He weighed the fact that several federal agencies are considering filing federal charges against Ford for allegedly filing fraudulent tax returns, stealing Social Security checks and passing counterfeit checks.
"It seems to me your client has a lot bigger fish to fry than in this court," Brogdon told her defense attorney, Nick Lotito.
Lotito argued that his client was cooperating with authorities to help unravel a scheme that police say involves 5,779 victims or more. He said Ford should be released because she poses no risk to the community and she needs to care for her 12-year-old adopted twins, who are currently staying with relatives.
"She is not a ringleader," Lotito said. "There are other people that are far more culpable than she is."
Duluth Police Detective Fran Foster testified at the hearing that all federal agencies involved with the investigation -- the FBI, Secret Service, U.S. Treasury Department and U.S. Postal Service among them-- were in agreement that Ford, 47, should not be released.
Ford, a former real estate broker whose license has been suspended, allegedly told police that she was working for someone else. She said she was just the check-casher, according to police.
Regardless, Foster said that Ford made at least $2.5 million off the scheme and she is believed to have connections with three different identity fraud rings which are now under investigation.
Ford turned herself in to police on April 14. Police have not even begun to contact all of the victims associated with the case, because they are still trying to compile all the information obtained after executing a search warrant at Ford's home. Items seized from Ford include 15 boxes of mortgage documents and bankruptcy filings, bank records, 393 tax returns filed in other peoples' names and a collection of 5,779 names listed in a three-ring binder that include corresponding dates of birth and Social Security numbers.
About the Author
