A homeless man who bears a striking resemblance to the man whose identity he stole 17 years ago was arraigned this week on multiple counts of identity theft and welfare fraud. He is also charged with giving false information to a police officer and grand theft of services.
Joseph Kidd is accused of stealing Larry Smith’s identity 17 years ago, and he’s been using ever since. Because of the theft Smith, who lives in Florida, has spent time in jail for a crime he did not commit and has been denied access to his medical benefits.
In 1993, Kidd was arrested and fingerprinted in California for a non-violent crime as “Lawrence E. Smith.” That was the beginning of the nightmare for the real Larry Smith. Kidd had a birth certificate, a marriage license and a driver’s license bearing the false identity. He also married a woman in 2007 using the alias.
While Kidd was in California using his name, the real Larry Smith was ticketed for driving a Camaro too fast in 2001, billed $300,000 by Medicare, and his driver’s license was almost revoked for offenses he didn’t commit.
Smith spent eight days in jail, while his wife desperately tried to convince authorities her husband wasn’t guilty. She even provided investigators copies of pay stubs from Smith’s employer, showing that he was at work during the times the crimes were committed.
Smith said he has never met Kidd, and has no idea why he was targeted.
Kidd was using Smith’s name in 2006 during a nationwide search for him for parole violation. Police in Florida thought they’d caught him when they arrested the real Larry Smith.
Police in Arkansas found Kidd, who was extradited to California. But instead of correcting the error, Kidd was booked as “Lawrence E. Smith” yet again, and was given a parole ID card bearing the alias.
After he was released, Kidd used Smith’s identity to apply for welfare benefits, and that action finally got him caught for good. It was during that arrest that officers finally realized Kidd wasn’t who he said he was.
Smith said he first realized something was wrong in 2004. He had filed his taxes, and was due a refund of a little more than $700. He never got his check, since it was instead sent to California to pay a fine for a fraud charge Smith knew nothing about.
Smith said he still receives bills from collection agencies and Medicare that don’t belong to him. In fact, on the day he received a bill for cataract surgery he had in Florida, he also received a bill for an ambulance ride in California, which took place the same day of his surgery.
Now that Kidd is finally in custody Smith, a grandfather of nine, said he can rest a little easier. But he’s still unraveling the damage.
Make sure you’re never in Larry Smith’s shoes. Call LifeLock today. Receive 30 days free and get a 10 percent discount on enrollment with the LifeLock Promo Code “Defense.”
