Man sought in identity case

Authorities are looking for a 38-year-old Spokane man accused of stealing the identity of an elderly man with dementia and spending more than $80,000 in the man’s name, Spokane police reported Tuesday.

William Lee Roberts has been charged with 23 felony counts in the case, including residential burglary, first-degree identity theft, numerous forgeries, theft and possession of stolen property, said Dick Cottam, police spokesman. The victim died of natural causes in May.

The case began in June 2003, when Roberts allegedly befriended the elderly victim and persuaded him to make Roberts a co-signer on his American Express, Visa and MasterCard accounts. Roberts also obtained the man’s bank information, as well as his birth date and Social Security number, Cottam said.

Over the course of seven months, Roberts allegedly spent more than $80,000, including lavish $600-a-night stays at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.

Detective Brian Tafoya said Roberts opened or compromised 22 accounts using the elderly man’s name. A teller at the North Foothills branch of Inland Northwest Bank contacted the victim’s family after noticing unusual transactions in the elderly customer’s accounts. The family called police.

Roberts allegedly scanned the victim’s signature into his own computer and printed checks with the victim’s signature on them, Tafoya said.

Though the victim was not responsible for the fraudulent spending, the credit card companies and merchants absorb the costs of the losses, which in turn makes costs rise for everyone, Tafoya said.

The Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office filed charges Tuesday against Roberts, although he remains at large. A nationwide warrant was issued for his arrest, said Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Lynn Mounsey.

“We need the public’s help in finding this guy. He’s a hazard to our elders,” Mounsey said. “My fear is that he’s doing it to somebody else somewhere else. He’s a public risk no matter where he’s at.”

Under new law, Mounsey said prosecutors will be able to add aggravating circumstances to the charges, which could result in a harsher sentence than the standard range.

“The fact that the guy was older, had dementia, and that (Roberts) used those things to maneuver himself into position, those are going to be used as part of the case now,” Mounsey said.

Mounsey said the prosecutor’s office is aggressively going after identity theft cases, especially those against elderly residents.

“We are going after them with as much force as we can muster,” Mounsey said. “These victims are in their 80s and 90s, and are from the school of belief that you trust your neighbor and the next thing you know they are being swindled and taking advantage of.”

Anyone with information about Roberts’ whereabouts is asked to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.