4 charged in ID theft

Four people face charges of aggravated identity theft after police arrested them at two separate north Phoenix homes.

Police served search warrants at the homes northwest of Cave Creek and Thunderbird roads on Sept. 4. Various false identities and equipment used to create fraudulent documents were recovered, Phoenix police said this week. Police seized two vehicles, computer equipment and software.

Investigators believe the identity theft ring operated for three years and victimized dozens of people.

The four are accused of creating forged checks with identities stolen through burglaries from vehicles and homes.

"They would then use the checks to purchase personal items at stores throughout the Valley," Phoenix Detective Cindy Scott said in an e-mail.

"At times, the suspects would return the purchased items for cash," she said.

Police did not specify the total dollar amount stolen through the operation. The investigation is ongoing.

Jennifer Back-Smith, 35; Antonio Garduno, 41; Tracy Gunderson, 48; and Patricia Sampiere, 40, face felony aggravated identity theft charges after their Sept. 4 arrests.

Aggravated identity theft is a Class 3 felony that carries a sentence of more than three years in prison for a first-time offense.

Back-Smith was found guilty of felony forgery charges in 2002 in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Sampiere was found guilty of felony possession of a forgery device and sentenced in 2004 to one year in the Arizona Department of Corrections, according to court records.

During the investigation, police saw the group transporting documents between a home in the 13000 block of North 18th Place and another home a quick walk away on North 19th Place.