[TriLUG] speaking of id theft

[Paul Jones]

http://24hour.newsobserver.com/nc24hour/ncnews/story/1394091p-1428662c.html

Sunday, May 19, 2002 4:35PM EDT

Graduate student charged with posing as doctor

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Authorities are looking for a graduate student 
at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill they suspect of 
stealing the identity of a doctor who helped him with his thesis.

Arrest warrants have been issued charging Mark Conrad Rendina, 33, of 
Durham, with financial identity fraud and obtaining property under false 
pretenses. The UNC directory lists him as a doctoral candidate in the 
Department of Health Policy and Administration.

According to a search warrant, the case involves Dr. Walker Anderson Long, 
a former research professor of pediatrics at UNC-CH School of Medicine who 
is a vice president at Cato Research of Durham.

Long was the first director of UNC's Office of Telemedicine, a position 
Rendina's resume says he also held.

The search warrant shows that a May 2 search of a Mail Boxes Etc. account 
in Chapel Hill taken out fraudulently in Long's name contained medical 
school photo identification with Long's name and a photo of Rendina.

Fraudulent payroll stubs under Long's name were submitted to First Premier 
Bank under Long's name, address and Social Security number, the warrant 
says.

Accounts for Long at Mail Boxes Etc. and Intrex Computers, both of Chapel 
Hill, also were set up, and employees identified Rendina as the account 
owner. The warrant also says a computer was bought in Long's name and 
billed to his address.

In 2000, Rendina created fake Web sites for several political parties and 
steered users to pornographic sites. Conservative presidential candidate 
Pat Buchanan said in a lawsuit that Rendina offered to sell sites that he 
registered using Buchanan's name for $10,000.

A federal judge ordered Rendina to stop


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                             Paul Jones
                    "Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!"
http://www.ibiblio.org/pjones/ at the Site Formerly Known As MetaLab.unc.edu
  pjones at ibiblio.org   voice: (919) 962-7600     fax: (919) 962-8071
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