Two Citrus Heights residents today pleaded guilty in federal court in Sacramento to identity theft, credit card fraud and possessing stolen U.S. mail.
Court documents show sheriff's deputies on July 2, 2011, found Matthew Ray Ausborn, 32, and Christina Leanne Barrios, 29, asleep inside an idling car on a residential street in Carmichael. Barrios was arrested on an outstanding warrant and consented to the search of his vehicle.
The search turned up a small amount of methamphetamine, approximately 400 pieces of stolen mail involving more than 250 victims, multiple identification documents for other people, checks, financial documents, handwritten notes containing personal identifying information, a laptop computer, printer and blank check paper, a federal Department Justice news release shows.
At the time, Ausborn was arrested for methamphetamine possession.
On July 19, 2011, federal agents searched a storage unit that Ausborn rented in Sacramento and found more than 100 pieces of stolen mail, involving more than 70 victims, as well as identification and financial documents, handwritten notes with identifying information, computers and a scanner.
Court documents show that in July 2011, after Ausborn and Barrios were released on bond for the state charges and during the federal investigation, the two fled to Oregon. They were arrested July 20, 2011, in Medford on unrelated state charges.
The case resulted from an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.
Ausborn and Barrios are to be sentenced Nov. 13 by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez.
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