LAWRENCE, Kan. — The Lawrence Police Department announced Wednesday morning an arrest of a local woman connected to a months-long investigation.
Police allege Billie Jean Peterson, 25, stole personal information and fraudulently charged thousands of dollars to friends, co-workers and a neighbor.
Peterson is charged with felony theft, 56 counts of identity theft, 28 counts of unlawful computer acts and 26 counts of criminal use of a financial card. In total, Peterson faces 111 total counts relating to identity fraud.
Investigators became aware of the charges after a few co-workers of Peterson at a local dental office began to notice the fraudulent charges on their bank accounts in March 2022. An investigation into the charges found more potential victims of Peterson dating to as far back as June 2021.
A search warrant executed by investigators in April 2022 revealed additional clues and found more potential victims of Peterson. The broader group of victims included not only those who worked at the same dental office as Peterson, but other dental offices Peterson worked at during the time span of the investigation.
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