I-75 traffic stop leads to identity theft arrests

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NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla.- Two men are under arrest after Lee County deputies found a laptop filled with stolen identities during a traffic stop on Interstate 75.

Authorities say Jai Malik Wiggins, 23, of Opa Locka and Gerald Harris, 38, of Miami Gardens were travelling to Southwest Florida to commit identity theft related crimes.

On Monday around 2:30 p.m., the suspects’ car was pulled over for going 60 mph in the left lane near mile marker 147 in North Fort Myers.

During the stop, the deputy smelled marijuana inside the vehicle. During a search of the car, authorities found a computer with a large list of names, personal identifiers and banking information.

The suspects had produced matching driver licenses that could be used to enter banks and empty the accounts of unsuspecting victims, said the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

“This group specifically, we estimated that they probably would have done close to $650,000 in damage,” said Sgt. Frank Trestka.

The suspects were applying for new credit cards under the victims’ names and having them redirected to local pack and ship stores for delivery. Approximately 36 victims have been identified so far, with several being in Lee, Charlotte Counties.

“With the advances of cell phones and laptop, it’s very easy to do identity theft now,” T

Wiggins is charged with 36 counts of identity theft. Harris is charged with 31 counts of identity theft and two counts of possessing a fraudulent driver license.

Additional charges are pending as more victims are identified.

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