Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has charged a Troy resident with identity theft — using social security numbers to open fraudulent credit cards.
Walter Healey, 63, was an employee with the Department of Taxation and Finance unit. He allegedly used his position to take taxpayers information from tax department files and used that information to apply for and obtain credit cards.
He allegedly has more than 90 fraudulent credit cards and other lines of credit with more than 20 banks. Unpaid charges of over $200,000 are associated with those accounts.
“These charges go far beyond the theft of people’s identities, they involve an egregious breach of public trust,” said Cuomo. “Government employees have a duty to act in the best interest of people they serve. Public employees who violate the public trust can clearly expect to hear from my office.”
Currently, the attorney generalРІР‚в„ўs office is in the process of contacting victims whose names were used to open fraudulent credit cards. They are also contacting the credit bureaus to fix cases where credit was affected. State tax officials are also sending notification to more than 2,000 affected individuals throughout the state, as required by law.
Healey is currently charged with identity theft in the first degree, unlawful position of personal identification information in the second degree, tampering with public records in the first degree and official misconduct. He was arraigned before Judge Christopher T. Maier in Troy City Court and released on $5,000 bond.
If found guilty, Healey faces a maximum of 6 to 18 years in prison.
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