Crime & Safety
New Details, Charges For Spring City Man Who Stole 800 Pieces Of Area Mail: DA
It's estimated that the man attempted to steal hundreds of identities across six different municipalities, the DA said.
SPRING CITY, PA — New details have emerged and new charges have been filed against the Spring City man who police said stole more than 800 pieces of mail and attempted to steal the identities of hundreds of victims throughout the area.
Joshua Hartmann, 41, faces 527 criminal counts of forgery, identity theft, and a wide array of fraud related charges. The ongoing investigation has now revealed victims in Schuylkill Township, Phoenixville, Malvern, Tredyffrin, Lower Providence, and Upper Providence, the Chester County District Attorney's Office announced this week.
Hartmann used the stolen mail to modify the victims' addresses on file with government agencies, and then applied for credit cards in their names, stealing unknown amounts of money, police said.
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Separate investigations in Tredyffrin Township, Lower Providence, and at the federal level through the United States Postal Inspection Service ultimately converged when Hartmann was discovered as the perpetrator of the massive fraud, officials said.
Another Spring City resident, Jessica Michelle Zipkin, 33, was also arrested and charged with related counts.
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Police believe there may be more victims. Contact Detective Daniel McFadden at 610-408-3649 if you have any information.
Bail for Hartmann was set at $300,000 by Chester County Magisterial District Judge Lauren Holt, and he was booked at Chester County Prison. A preliminary hearing is set for April 18.
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