ANGELA HALE, d/o/b 09-14-1965, of Springfield, Missouri, was sentenced on June 6, 2013, in the Taney County Circuit Court to fifteen (15) years in prison by Circuit Judge Mark Orr for the Class B felony of Trafficking in Stolen Identities.

Hale had previously entered a guilty plea to the felony charge on March 21, 2013. The case arose out of an investigation by multiple agencies into several forgeries that occurred throughout southwest Missouri. A suspect vehicle was seen leaving the scene of one such forgery that had occurred in Taney County and was stopped for investigative purposes. A search of the vehicle, operated by Hale, turned up numerous means of identification, including business checks belonging to a Forsyth restaurant, personal checks and credit cards belonging to numerous individuals, all of which were found in Hale’s possession.

“There is really no prison sentence that can compensate victims for the problems created by identity theft crimes,” said Taney County Prosecutor Jeff Merrell. “Identity theft 0ffenders – like Hale – create crushing financial hardships for their respective victims. Some victims never able to fully recover. At least in this case, the offender will be out of circulation for awhile.”

Trafficking in Stolen Identities is a Class B felony which carries between five (5) and fifteen (15) years in the Missouri Department of Corrections.