Novato Woman Arrested On Identity Theft Charges

NOVATO, CA – A Novato woman accused of making thousands of dollars worth of purchases using stolen identities was arrested Tuesday in Petaluma.

Beginning in September 2017, several Novato residents reported being victims of identity theft. Police investigated and identified Kimberly Allen, 44, of Novato, as the suspect.

According to police, Allen opened lines of credit at various businesses in Marin County using the victims' personal information and making more than $10,000 worth of purchases.

Police learned that Allen was on federal probation for fraud-related offenses. She was also wanted on a federal warrant related to a separate investigation.

Novato police referred the case to the Marin County District Attorney's office earlier this month for prosecution and obtained a warrant for Allen's arrest.

On Tuesday, police received information that Allen was possibly staying at a hotel in Petaluma. With help from Petaluma police and the U.S. Marshals Service, Novato police took Allen into custody. She was booked into Marin County Jail on suspicion of check fraud, credit card fraud, grand theft and identity theft with a prior conviction.

"We would like to thank the U.S. Marshals Service and the Petaluma Police Department for the assistance they provided during the investigation," Novato police said in a press release. "The Novato Police Department encourages our community members to be proactive in checking their personal credit and bank accounts for unauthorized use."

Additional resources and information about identity theft is available at www.novatopolice.org.

Image via Novato Police Department