Police: Woman used stolen IDs to pay utility bills

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Police said a Lawrenceville woman amassed stolen credit information of more than 100 victims and they believe she purchased the stolen information through a website run out of Russia.

At first, police thought they were investigating a handful of stolen credit cards.

They said the suspect, Mary Ann Boutdy, 31, was using them to pay her city of Lawrenceville utility bill.

That led police straight to her home. When they searched inside they found a notebook and then the investigation exploded.

Lawrenceville police Detective Darya Smith said a two -month identity theft investigation continues to grow.

Smith believes Boutdy's victims include Georgia residents. She faces several felonies including financial identity fraud.

Smith said Boutdy wrote it all down in a notebook. There was even more evidence on Boutdy's cell phone.

"Looking at the text messages on her phone, I have determined she had gotten them out of a website out of Russia," Smith told Channel 2's Kerry Kavanaugh.

Smith said Boutdy actually named the website in her text messages. Channel 2 Action News is not naming the site, but Smith walked Kavanaugh through how it works.

It's a clearing house for stolen information and shockingly operates like any other online shopping site.

Federal agencies have had some success in shutting the Russian- websites down, but Smith said they're extremely difficult to police.

It's a reminder to everyone the importance of checking their own statements and pulling credit reports.

Boutdy faces several felonies including financial identity fraud. She's currently in the Gwinnett County Jail.

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WSBTV