Identity theft kingpin arrested near Folsom

Jason Brown is considered an identity theft kingpin, eluding authorities for six years with slew of name spelling and aliases as he logged 13 warrants from six agencies.

On Saturday, however, his run ended over a stolen television set.

Brown, 30, of 15173 Jewel Drive, was arrested near Folsom Saturday when he emerged as the prime suspect in the investigation of the stolen TV from a North Columbia Street home, Capt. Jack West, Covington Police spokesman said.

Within hours responding officer Eric Magee discovered from a confidential informant that Brown worked at a Folsom area bar.

A team of Covington policemen, Folsom Police and St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office immediately dispatched to the bar.

As the caravan of officers headed northbound on Louisiana Highway 25, Brown, in a 1998 Chevy pickup, passed them headed southbound in the opposite direction.

Magee, the last man in the caravan, noticed Brown inside the car, spun around and followed the suspect, who turned into a parking lot to avoid detection, but the ruse failed.

Within seconds, a team of authorities surrounded Brown and arrested him, bringing an end to the chain of identity theft crimes throughout south Louisiana.

As of now, Brown is wanted on warrants from the New Orleans Police Department, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, Hammond Police Department, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, Covington Police Department, and Louisiana Probation and Parole for a parole violation.

But that’s just the “tip of the iceberg,” West said. He expects more victims to come forward and other crimes pointing to Brown, “but with the numerous combinations of aliases he uses, finding the correct warrants is difficult,” West said.

Brown stole credit cards and checks and used profits to buy items to resell, West said.

“He’s been living on stolen credit cards since 2002,” West said. “He’s just been out there on a little crime spree. It’s a little crazy.”

West expects to see much more similar criminals in the future.

“Identity theft is the crime of the future,” he said. “We’re moving to a (paper) moneyless society.”