DeKalb man charged with identity theft

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A DeKalb man was arrested Tuesday by Sycamore police and charged with illegally using the name and Social Security number of an Arizona man for seven years, police said.

Eduardo Mejia-Garcia, 38, was arrested on one count of identity theft about 10:15 a.m. Tuesday while working at a Sycamore business on Cameron Street, Sycamore Police Sgt. Steve Cook said Wednesday morning.

Mejia-Garcia had used the name and Social Security number of a Yuma, Ariz., resident to work at the Sycamore business for the last seven years, Cook said. The identity theft charge is a Class X felony because of the amount of money he earned while using a false identity — about $163,000 over the seven years, Cook said.

“He admitted his real name and had evidence on him that verified his real name,” Cook said. “This isn’t the first time we’ve had a case like this. I can remember at least four within the last five to six years, but there possibly are more.”

Sycamore Police received a letter Tuesday morning from the Yuma Police Department that described a man working at the Sycamore business using the Yuma resident’s information, Cook said. The Yuma resident was first told about the use of his information by the Internal Revenue Service, Cook said.

“I don’t know what the man’s specific situation is, but it could affect tax records,” Cook said. “The IRS could flag the records, and it can be a lot of work to sort it all out.”

If a person files tax records and the amount is different from what the IRS has on record — which could happen if two salaries are recorded for the same name and Social Security number — then that person might be investigated, Cook said.

A Class X felony is punishable by between six and 30 years and up to $25,000 in fines.

Mejia-Garcia’s bond was set Wednesday at $150,000. His next scheduled court date is Thursday morning.