Identity theft road trip from Florida to Minnesota busted by bank teller

A bank teller in Blaine, Minn. helped put an end to a Florida to Minnesota road trip that left at least 16 identity theft victims in its wake. Five suspects appeared in Anoka County District Court this week on charges related to identity theft.

The suspects

Beth Porter, 32, Tallahassee, Fla.

Kortney Suber, 36, no permanent address

Masud Headen, 21, address unknown

Ashley Wimberly, 28, Miami, Fla.

Willie Morris, 26, Pompano Beach, Fla.

Teller tips police

According to the charges, a teller at Bank of West in Blaine called police to report a check she believed was stolen. The teller said she was suspicious of a minivan in the far drive-thru lane, because it was similar to another forged check incident from a week earlier.

Blaine police found the minivan, which had Florida plates and was registered to a rental car company. The officers found a wig and a wallet that contained the IDs, bank cards, credit cards, and checkbooks of 5 victims.

Cross-country crime spree

Beth Porter was driving, and Kortney Suber was in the front passenger seat. The two women were taken into custody for questioning, and Porter admitted that she and 4 others left Florida in the van on Friday, March 27. As they drove across the country, they broke into several cars to steal purses, wallets, checkbooks, social security cards and other forms of identification. She also admitted to cashing stolen checks and using stolen IDs at banks.

Porter steered police to the Microtel Inn and Suites on 78th Street in Bloomington, Minn., where officers arrested the other 3 accomplices. A search of the hotel room on March 30 turned up another wig and items belonging to another 11 victims from Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and North Dakota.