FOURTH D I VI SI ON

ELLI NGTON, P. J.

, BRA N CH and M ERCI ER, JJ.

N O T IC E : M otions for r e c ons i de r a tion m us t be

ph y sic a l ly r e ce iv ed i n our c le r k ’s offic e w ithin te n

da y s of the da te of de c is ion to be de e m ed tim e ly file d.

http://w w w .ga a ppe a l s .us /r ule s

October 7, 2016



# I n th e Co u r t o f

A p p eals o f

G eo r g ia

A1 6 A2 01 0 . ANDERSON v . THE STATE.

E LLI N G T O N , Pres i d i n g J ud g e.

A DeKal b Co u n t y ju ry fo u n d J am es e An ders o n g u i l t y o f i d en t i t y frau d

, OCGA

§ 1 6 -9 -1 2 1 (a). An d e r s o n a p p eal s fro m t h e d en i al o f h i s m o ti o n fo r a n ew t ri al

,

c o n t e n d i n g t h at t he ev i d en ce w as i n s u ffi ci en t t o s up p ort h i s co n v ict i on b ey o n d a

reas on ab l e d o u b t

. Fi n d i n g n o rev ers ib l e erro r, we affi rm t h e ju d g m en t o f co n v i ct i o n.

On ap p eal fro m

a cri m i n al co n v i ct i o n

, t h e ev i d en ce m u s t b e v i ewed i n

t h e li g ht m o s t fav o rab le t o t h e v erd i ct

, an d th e ap p el l an t n o l o ng er

en jo y s t he p res u m

p ti o n o f i n n ocen ce; m o reo v er, an ap p el lat e co u rt d o es

n o t wei g h t he ev i den ce o r det erm in e wi t n es s cred i b i l i t y b u t o n l y

d et erm i nes wh et h er t he e v i d e n ce is s u ffi ci en t un d er t h e s tan d ard o f

Ja cks o n v. Vi r

g i n ia

, [4 4 3 U

. S. 3 0 7 (9 9 SCt 2 7 8 1

, 6 1 LE2 d 5 6 0 )

(1 9 7 9 )]

. As l o n g as t h ere i s s o m e co m pet e n t e v i d en ce, ev en t ho u g h

co n t rad i ct ed

, t o s u p p ort each fact neces s ary to m ak e o u t t h e St at e’ s cas e,

t h e ju ry ’ s v erd i ct wi l l b e u p h el d

.Br a df

o r d v. S t a t e

, 3 2 7 Ga. Ap p . 6 2 1 (7 60 SE2 d 6 3 0 ) (2 01 4 ). So v i ewed , t h e reco rd

s h o ws t h e fo l l o wi n g

.

In l at e No v em

ber o f 20 1 2

, An d ers on was in t ro d u ced t o t h e v i ct i m i n t h i s cas e,

b y t he v i ct i m ’ s s i s t er. A n d ers o n t o l d t h e v i ct i m t h at he h ad a cel l p h o ne d is tri b u t i o n

b u s i n es s an d h e as k ed t h e v i ct i m fo r h el p org an i zi ng i t an d s et t i n g u p Ex cel

s p read s h eet s

. An d ers o n al s o t o l d th e v ict i m th at h e co u l d h el p h im g et a g oo d d eal o n

a n ew cel l p h on e. Th e v i ct i m ’ s co n t r a c t w i t h Veri zo n ex pi red i n Decem b er, s o h e

accep t ed An d ers o n ’ s o ffer.

An d ers o n t o l d t he v i ct i m h e co ul d g et h i m a Sam s u n g p h o n e wi t h s erv i ce

t h ro u g h T-M o b i le. An d ers on as k ed fo r an d recei v ed t h e v i ct im ’ s p e r s o n al

i n fo rm at i o n

, i ncl u d i n g h i s s o ci al s ecu ri ty an d d r i v er’ s l i cen s e n u m b ers

, s o t h at h e

co u ld ap p l y fo r t h e v i ct i m ’ s n ew p h o n e an d serv i ce. An d ers o n a l s o a s k e d fo r t h e

v i ct i m ’ s V eri zo n PIN n u m b er s o t hat h e co u ld t ran s fer t h e v ict i m ’ s p h o ne n u m b er to

t h e n ew carri er. W h en h i s n ew p h o n e fai l ed t o arri v e as p ro m i sed , t h e v i ct i m cal l ed

An d ers on , b u t An d ers on d id n o t res p o n d

.

A few d ay s lat er, t h e v i ct i m d i s co v ered A n d ers o n wai t in g o u t s i de h i s h o u s e fo r

a b o x t o b e d el i v ered

. Th e b o x co n t ai n ed a p h o n e, an d An d ers o n t o l d t h e v i ct i m t h at

2h e n eed ed t o t ak e t he p h on e t o s wap o u t a SIM card so t h at t h e v i ct im co ul d k eep h i s

o l d p h on e n u m

b er. An d ers o n t o o k t h e p h o n e, p ro m i si n g t o ret u rn i t l at er t hat n i g h t ;

h o wev er, h e n ev er d el i v ered t h e p h o n e as p ro m i sed

.

Th e v ict i m cal l ed Veri zo n t o fi n d o ut wh at was h ap p en i n g wi th h i s acco u n t an d

Veri zo n i n fo rm ed h i m t h at h is acco u n t h ad b een u p g rad ed t o a fam i l y p l an an d t h at

n i n e n ew p h o n e l i n es h ad b een ad d ed

. Fu rt h er, th e b i l l i n g ad dres s o n h is acco u n t h ad

b een ch an g ed t o a n a d d res s t h at t h e v i ct i m d i d n o t reco g n i ze, an ad dres s th e p o l i ce

l at er d et erm i n ed b e l o n g ed t o A n d ers o n

. V eri zo n i n fo rm ed t h e v i ct i m t h at h e h ad

o u t s t an d i n g ch arg es o f $ 4 ,2 8 1 .3 9 o n h i s ac co u n t fo r n ew p h o n es an d s erv i ces

. Th e

v i ct i m t es t i fi ed t h at h e h ad n ot au t h ori zed an y o f t h e ad d i t i o n s t o h is V eri zo n acco u n t ;

i n fact

, t h e acco u nt was s u p p o s ed t o h av e b een cl o s ed

.

OCGA § 1 6 -9 -1 2 1 ( a ) (1 ) p ro v i d es t h at “ [a] p ers o n co m m i t s t h e o ffen s e o f

i d en t i t y frau d wh en h e o r s h e w i l l fu l ly an d frau d u l en t ly [,]

. . . [w] i t h o u t au t h o ri zat i o n

o r co n s en t

, u s es o r p os s es ses wi t h in t en t t o frau d u l en t l y u se i d en ti fy i n g i n fo rm at i o n

co n cern in g a p ers o n [.] ” As u s ed i n t h i s s t at u t e, t h e t erm “ i den t i fy i ng i n fo rm at i o n ”

refers t o an y n u m

b ers (s u ch as d ri v er’ s l i cen s e, s o ci al secu ri t y

, acco u nt

, an d PIN

n u m b e r s ) o r o t h er i n fo rm at i o n wh i ch can b e us ed t o acces s a p ers o n ’ s “ res o u rces .”

3O C G A § 1 6 -9 -1 2 0 (5 ). Th e t erm “ res o u rces ,” i ncl u d es

, bu t i s n ot li m i te d t o

, a

p ers o n ’ s ch arg e acco u n ts . OCGA § 1 6 -9 -1 2 0 (6 ) (B).

Th e ev i d en ce i n t hi s cas e was s u f f i c i e n t to al l o w t h e ju ry t o fi n d, b ey o n d a

reas on ab l e d o u b t

, t h at An d ers o n wi l l fu l l y an d frau d u l en t l y u sed t h e v i ct i m ’ s p ers o n al

i d en t i fy i n g i n fo rm at i o n t o ob t ai n g o o d s an d s erv i ces t h ro ug h th e vi ct i m ’ s Veri zo n

acco u n t wi t h o ut t h e v ict i m ’ s au t h o ri zat i on

. Al t h o u g h An d ers o n acq u i red t h e v i ct i m ’ s

p ers o n al in fo rm at i o n wi t h t h e vi ct i m ’ s co ns en t

, A n d ers o n was o n l y au t h ori zed t o u s e

t h at i n fo rm at i o n t o o b t ai n a n ew p h on e an d t o s et u p ph o n e s erv i ce fo r t h e v i ct i m

. Th e

ev i d en ce s h o ws t h at An ders on d i d n o t co m p l y wi th t h e v i ct i m ’ s req u es t ; i n s t ead h e

u s ed t h e v i ct i m ’ s p ers on al i d en t i fy i n g i n fo rm at i o n i n an u n a u t h ori zed m an n er, t h at

i s

, t o o b t ai n $ 4 ,2 8 1 .3 9 i n g o o d s an d s erv i ces fo r h i m s el f. Th i s ev i d en ce i s su ffi ci en t

t o s u pp o rt t h e ju ry ’ s g u i l t y v erd i ct bey o n d a reas o nab l e d o ub t

. See Za ch er y v. S t a t e

,

3 1 2 Ga. Ap p

. 41 8

, 4 2 0 (1 ) (7 1 8 SE2 d 3 3 2 ) (2 0 1 1 ) (Th e ev id en ce was su ffi ci en t t o

s h o w t h at th e d efen d an t co m m i t t ed id e n t i t y frau d b y u si n g

, wi t h o u t co n s en t

, t h e

v i ct i m ’ s fed eral t ax i d en t i fi cat i on n u m b er as p art o f a cred i t card ap p l i cat i o n t o o b t ai n

t em p o rary ch arg e p as s es

, wh i ch t h e d efen d an t t h en us ed t o pu rch as e m erch an d i s e.).

Ju d g men t a f f i r m ed . Br a nch a n d

Mer ci er , JJ., co n cu r

.

4