‘Flophouse’ identity theft scheme nets guilty plea

A Kansas City man pleaded guilty Monday to paying drug addicts to steal mail and personal identification information that was then used to create counterfeit checks.

Federal prosecutors said that 54-year-old Tyler Sutton used his residence as a “flophouse” where he offered cash and drugs to people who brought him stolen mail, identities, addresses, credit card numbers and bank account information.

Sutton and his co-conspirators used the stolen identities to create counterfeit identifications and checks, which were cashed at retail stores and financial institutions.

He pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court ins Kansas City to aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, possession of counterfeit securities, possession of stolen mail and identity theft.

This story was originally published September 19, 2016 at 3:43 PM with the headline "‘Flophouse’ identity theft scheme nets guilty plea."