Suspect in ID theft scheme, wife arrested in Florida

A Spokane fugitive accused of orchestrating an elaborate identity theft scheme was arrested Wednesday in Florida.

A federal task force in north central Florida spotted Ronald R. Foreman, 45, stepping out of a stolen motor home at Stephen Foster State Park in White Springs, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

He and his wife, Joanna Foreman, 41, were taken into custody, along with their two children, whose names and ages were not released.

Authorities seized an assault rifle, a sawed-off shotgun, two rifles, methamphetamine, marijuana, material to make credit cards and a computer used to manufacture fraudulent vehicle titles. The motor home, which officials said Ronald Foreman had been driving, also was seized.

Foreman had been wanted in Spokane County since December on a felony charge of leading organized crime.

He also faces drug, forgery and car-theft charges, as well as a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. Foreman is prohibited from possessing firearms because of a previous felony conviction.

The Pacific Northwest Violent Offenders Task Force learned Foreman likely was in Florida “after countless hours of interviews,” according to a news release.

Police say the convicted methamphetamine dealer equipped his Spokane Valley home with surveillance video and a tripwire while leading an identity theft scheme to fund his meth addiction.

He posted bond after a SWAT team raid last March. A neighbor said he moved out of his home about the time the organized crime charge was filed in November.

A conviction for leading organized crime can carry a 10- to 15-year prison sentence.