Trying to straighten that out is a full-time job, not the mention the emotional impact it has. Cases difficult to solve Cops are working to catch up with the flood of financial crimes that began in the mid-90s. Tallahassee police and the Leon County Sheriff's Office both have units dedicated to investigating white-collar crimes. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has formed a partnership with fraud investigators from private businesses and is working on a statewide clearinghouse for reporting fraud. But cases like Gamble's and the others that are reported in Tallahassee are extremely difficult to investigate and even harder to prove, Kiracofe says.
Money trails are complex and often cross multiple jurisdictions.
It's common to see the victim, the suspect and the merchant living in three different parts of the world. We're dealing with a virtual crime scene that spans the globe. Leon County Circuit Judge George Reynolds said a typical sentence is 10 to 30 days in jail, two years probation and financial restitution. Identity thieves rarely draw state prison time, he said. Reynolds says he wants tougher sentences in identity theft cases - at least six months in jail for first offenses and more time for more serious cases.