Hall County Woman Accused of Identity Fraud Along with a Slew of Other Felonies

A citizen of Hall County, Rose Lynn Becker, is facing several different felony charges after a 911 call from a credit union employee. During the report, the employee proclaimed that Becker was cashing a fraudulent check.

Officers then attempted to pull Becker over. When she refused, officers chased Becker onto Ga. 34 East. During the chase, Becker allegedly ran a red light and reached more than 70 mph through two different school zones. Deputies resulted to performing a PIT maneuver in order to stop her. They found cocaine in her car and once detained, Becker allegedly tried to consume several bags of cocaine once she was taken to the sheriff's office.

Becker is facing several criminal charges on top of the traffic violations she has been accused of committing. Her charges include:

• Possession of Cocaine in Georgia
• Speeding in Georgia
• Reckless Conduct in Georgia
• Driving with a Suspended License in Georgia
• Identity Fraud in Georgia

As a Georgia Criminal Defense Attorney, I will focus on the criminal offense of identity fraud in today's post.

Identity Fraud in Georgia

The Georgia Code defines identity fraud in Georgia as:

A person commits the offense of identity fraud when he or she willfully and fraudulently:

• Without authorization or consent, uses or possesses with intent to fraudulently use identifying information concerning a person;
• Uses identifying information of an individual under 18 years old over whom he or she exercises custodial authority;
• Uses or possess with intent to fraudulently use identifying information concerning a deceased individual;
• Creates, uses, or possess with intent to fraudulently use any counterfeit or fictitious information concerning a fictitious person with intent to use such counterfeit or fictitious identification information for the purpose of committing or facilitating the commission of a crime or fraud on another person; or
• Without authorization or consent, creates, uses, or possesses with intent to fraudulently use any counterfeit or fictitious identifying information concerning a real person with intent to use such counterfeit or fictitious information for the purpose of committing or facilitating the commission of a crime or fraud on another person. O.C.G.A. §16-9-121.

Identity fraud is classified as a felony in Georgia. The penalty for your first conviction is one to ten years in prison, a fine up to $100,000, or both. For a subsequent identity fraud conviction, the penalty increases to three to fifteen years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, or both.

Practice Note

As a Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer, it is important for me to note that fraud crimes in Georgia are taken very seriously. Usually, there is an overload of technical evidence to comb through. 

Becker is also facing a handful of traffic violations in Georgia. Her case will be very complicated and should only be entrusted to someone who is well-practiced with Georgia Criminal Defense.