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Police: Former Tax Preparer Used Six Fake Identities To Keep Lights On

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — A former tax preparer with a criminal history was arrested Tuesday after police said she stole United Illuminating service for years using stolen identities from victims as far away as Alabama and Kentucky.

Sharonda Chisholm-Ferguson

Sharonda Chisholm-Ferguson

Photo Credit: Bridgeport Police Department

Sharonda Chisholm-Ferguson, 63, of Bridgeport, was charged with third-degree larceny, third-degree identity theft and two counts of second-degree larceny, police said.

She was taken into custody at 6:15 a.m. after she returned a work vehicle to a North Avenue parking lot.

A fraud protection investigator for the electric company told police that power to Chisholm-Ferguson’s Essex Street apartment was shut off in 2008 due to an outstanding bill of $2,752.63, police said.

However, police believe she used the identities of six victims to continue getting UI service from 2010 to 2017, police said. One of the victims was her brother-in-law and others live in Massachusetts, South Carolina, Kentucky and Alabama, according to police records.

The charges billed to them total more than $9,477, police said. Due to statute limitations, Chisholm-Ferguson was only charged with three of the cases totally $5,977, police said.

Police said Chisholm-Ferguson, who drives a truck for a document-shredding business, has a criminal history in New York with arrests for tax fraud, false claims, forgery, criminal impersonation and grand larceny.

Investigators believe she may have had access to sensitive materials regarding her victims due to the nature of her jobs, according to her arrest record.

Chisholm-Ferguson was held on $25,000 bond and was expected in court on Tuesday.

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