APD Nabs Serial Thief………Again

February 5, 2010

The Albuquerque Police Department once again arrested a woman who was recently let out of jail while she awaited trial for identity theft involving 450 victims, only to steal the credit cards of two more unsuspecting victims.

On Thursday Albuquerque police property crimes detectives charged Amber Tapia, 22, with identity theft fraud of more than $500, forgery less than $2,500, fraudulent signing of a credit card and conspiracy. She was being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in lieu of a $100,000 cash bond.

In June, APD arrested Tapia after she allegedly stole the identities of 447 people. She was released in August after posting a $7,500 bond.

On Jan. 8, Tapia failed to appear in court for a plea agreement hearing prompting a District Court Judge to issue a warrant for her arrest. She later called the court and explained that she couldn’t make her hearing date and subsequently was booked into MDC on Jan. 15 and was immediately released. Her plea hearing was rescheduled for Jan. 28. At the hearing she rejected the plea and a court date was set.

Two days later, Tapia walked into an Albuquerque department store with her boyfriend Silvano Sandoval and used a card that had been fraudulently opened under someone else’s name. Not knowing who Tapia and Sandoval were, officials at the department store posted surveillance video on the Albuquerque Police Department’s Community Connect Web Site.

An Albuquerque police officer recognized her photograph. The newly formed multi jurisdictional Albuquerque Financial Crimes Task Force opened an investigation and got a warrant for Tapia’s arrest.

When investigators searched her home they found $10,000.00 in merchandise purchased with fraudulent credit cards, a victim's personal identifying information, and other fraudulent documents and Id's.