By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com
An Elk Grove woman who stole more than 29,000 identifies from Kaiser Permanente employees and ran up bills of more than $1 million on their accounts was sentenced today to 12 years and four months in state prison.
Mia Garza (photo right), 31, obtained the names through her clerk's position with the Service Employees International Union, officials said. Garza had first been arrested in San Ramon, but she bailed out and was placed on electronic monitoring before she went on another spending spree that resulted in her arrest in Elk Grove -- while she was about to undergo liposuction surgery on a credit card account she had fraudulently opened, according to court officials.
Sacramento Superior Court Judge Gary E. Ransom described the damage Garza did to her victims as "immeasurable." Several who spoke at the sentencing said that their lives have been financially shattered and that the impacts are still being felt.
"I don't know where the next assault is going to come from," said Kaiser employee Darlene Crockett, who said Garza opened 23 credit card accounts in her name and used one of them to buy a diamond ring at Macy's.
Deputy District Attorney Robert Clancey said the 300 victims investigators have identified so far have reported the $1 million in losses through the purchases that Garza made against their credit. Ransom scheduled a restitution hearing for Jan,. 10.
Garza apologized to her victims during her comments at the hearing. She said she was a domestic violence victim who carried out the identify theft operation at the behest of an abusive boyfriend. She said she is a manic-depressive who had stopped using her medications and had begun using crystal methamphetamine.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.