Identity theft Bonnie strikes again

Jocelyn Kirsch has done it again. If that name doesn’t ring a bell, she’s the “Bonnie” of identity theft who stole the identities and money of at least 16 friends and neighbors along with her boyfriend, Edward Anderton. Both attractive, well-off and educated (Kirsch was still a student at Drexel University; Anderton is a University of Pennsylvania grad), they decided to get ahead the easy way.

The lovebirds set up shop in their $3,000-a-month apartment in Philadelphia, complete with identification card machines, scanners and several computers. They stole thousands of dollars using online methods and sneaking into neighbors’ apartments. With the stolen money, they purchased designer clothes and went on extravagant vacations around the world. They told elaborate lies and bragged constantly,  posting pictures online of them riding horses on beaches and kissing under the Eiffel Tower.

The sinful duo was caught after ordering lingerie from England in a neighbor’s name. The woman was notified she had a package waiting for her at the post office when she hadn’t ordered anything. Knowing something was fishy, she notified police. When Kirsch and Anderton arrived to pick up the goods, they were nabbed.

But that didn't stop Kirsch. The Seattle Times reports this week that she, who has been living in California while awaiting her federal plea, has allegedly stolen and used another acquaintance’s credit card. Kirsch was arrested on May 28 and had a bail hearing, in which the judge “put her on house arrest, with electronic monitoring, pending her expected guilty plea next week.”

According to Fox News, Kirsch will plead guilty to six counts, including identity theft, money laundering and fraud charges. Such charges have a mandatory minimum of two years but can go up to more than five years. Anderton has also signed a federal plea deal.

Kirsch's defense lawyer Ronald Greenblatt tells the Seattle Times: "This is just a very sad case of a clearly troubled young woman. It clearly shows mental-health issues."

When news of Kirsch’s wrongdoings first surfaced in late 2007, reports poured out that Kirsch was a compulsive liar and thief, stealing friends’ cell phones and telling people she was Lithuanian and spoke Afrikaans. Perhaps some people never change. What do you think?