NCO court-martialed for identity theft Published Jan. 20, 2012 By Danny Monahan 377th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Kirtland Air Force Base, NM -- A staff sergeant from the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center was found guilty of identity theft and wrongful appropriation Jan. 11 during a court-martial. The sergeant received a 50-month prison sentence, a reduction in rank to airman basic and a dishonorable discharge. She was found guilty of using her Air Force position to steal personally identifiable information from six victims. She then used the victims' information to open credit accounts and participate in other fraudulent activity. "The military takes the crime of identity theft seriously and will take the necessary steps to protect others," said Capt. Daad Dabbagh, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center legal office. "The crime of identity theft is serious to both military and civilians alike." Identity theft occurs when someone uses PII, such as names, Social Security numbers and credit card numbers, with the intent to commit fraud or other crimes. "Identity theft is aggravated in the military because your SSN is required for many tasks," said Dabbagh. "Airmen do not hesitate to give their SSNs because it allows them to get a computer account or go to a medical appointment. It's used everywhere. There is a duty and high expectation to protect PII, and to use it for its intended purpose." Dabbagh said identity theft falls under federal and state fraud statutes. "Under the federal statute, identity theft is punishable with a maximum of five years confinement per individual affected for simply using someone's PII," she said. "The maximum increases if there was more than $1,000 of goods or services received. The Uniform Code of Military Justice does not have an article for identity theft. However, we can either assimilate the federal statute or create a general article under the UCMJ to create a charge of identity theft