Six indictments were returned in California as part of Operation Broken Trust, an investigation by the United States Secret Service into identity theft in the mortgage industry. The investigation focused on a ring that assumed victims' identities by accessing their credit reports. Armed with the new identities, the defendants manipulated credit reports to obtain money, to refinance homes, and to purchase high-end merchandise and drugs.

Mortgage broker John James Sena, 38, Huntington Beach, California, a mortgage broker, was charged with selling credit profiles and account information belonging to people who had applied for mortgages. Sena faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for offering to sell a credit card account number, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years on the second count of aggravated identity theft.

Mortgage broker Victoria Theresa Crouse, 44, Santa Ana, California, was charged with selling credit profiles containing the identities of other people and account information regarding the victims' financial accounts. Crouse faces a maximum sentence of 10 years, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years for the charge of aggravated identity theft.

Mortgage broker Manuel Jermiah Clark, 32, Irvine, California, was named in a four-count indictment that alleges he sold credit card account information and the identities of other people. Clark faces a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in federal prison, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft.

Thomas Patrick Hyde, 40, Huntington Beach, California, and Kara Lee Jensen, 25, Brea, California, were charged in a two-count indictment with selling stolen loan dossiers and credit reports of hundreds of people. The documents were stolen from an Orange County, California mortgage brokerage firm and contain information regarding the victims' identities and bank accounts. Hyde and Jensen were arrested on Wednesday. At that time, they were using the stolen information on the Internet. The defendants face a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in federal prison on the first count of the indictment, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years on the second count of aggravated identity theft.

Neil Sudario Reyes, 24, Anaheim, California; Timothy Thomas Hyde (the son of Thomas Patrick Hyde), 20, Anaheim, California; and Caitlin Renee Murashie, 19, Yorba Linda, California, were charged with possessing and using the names, credit profiles and account information of unsuspecting people. These defendants were arrested at an Anaheim motel in August 2006 while using the stolen account information on the Internet. Reyes, Timothy and Murashie each face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, plus a mandatory consecutive sentence of two years for aggravated identity theft.

Douglas Scott Frey, 36, of Irvine, was charged with possessing unauthorized access devices (credit card numbers) and device-making equipment. Frey obtained the unauthorized access devices from mortgage brokers and hotels throughout Orange County, California. Frey could be sentenced to up to 20 years in federal prison if he is convicted.

In addition, Robert Noyola, 21, Fontana, California, who worked at two mortgage brokerages in Costa Mesa, California, held himself out as a loan consultant for the purpose of obtaining information from prospective borrowers that he used to fraudulently obtain loans for friends of his family. Noyola was indicted on September 27, 2006 on one count of wire fraud.