Arlington arrest may be small part of larger ID theft ring

Arlington police are concerned the arrest of a couple on Saturday may just be the tip of a bigger identity theft ring.

Arlington police say a traffic stop led to the arrest of Alfred and Sheena Cruz driving a car filled with critical information that did not belong to them.  

Inside the trunk of the car, investigators say, they found dozens of credit cards, social security cards and ID cards. Also in the trunk were numerous medical files, scrubs and burglary tools along with five backpacks full of U.S. Mail.

APD alerted postal inspectors and other agencies including medical offices to be on guard.

"All of these things that we found have potential victims and so we're trying now to find out how people have been victimized,” said APD Sgt. Vanessa Harrison. “Are these credit cards simply stolen or have they been used to make fraudulent purchases. The medical records that we found -- has this information been used to commit identity theft?”

Postal inspectors spent much of the day at the Arlington police department sorting through all the mail, trying to determine if there might be a link to the sources of identification also found in the car.

The Cruz’s mugshots have not been released because they are still part of an ongoing photo lineup investigation. The pair remains in the Arlington jail and could face additional federal charges for stealing U.S. Mail.