Today in Department 6 of the Tulare County Superior Court, Visalia Division, Judge Gary Paden sentenced Jessica Murphy, age 27, to 12 years in state prison for financial and drug crimes.
On January 29, 2019, Murphy pleaded to 84 counts of identity theft with the special allegation of having been convicted of a prior identity theft, one count of mail theft, one count of possession of a controlled substance, and one count of possession for sales. Each count is a felony. Murphy possesses a prior strike conviction for first-degree burglary in 2018.
On November 10, 2018, officers from the Visalia Police Department responded to an abandoned car in an alley on Garden Street. During a search of the vehicle, officers discovered numerous pieces of personal identifying information meticulously organized in binders along with checks, vehicle registrations, cell phones, a smart tablet, various keys, and a mobile card reader. On November 20, 2018, officers performed an unrelated traffic stop on a car containing Murphy. In the car, officers discovered syringes, glass pipes, pills, and methamphetamine, along with additional personal identifying information.
During a subsequent police interview, Murphy explained to officers her history of being a “profiler.” Murphy stated she would receive stolen mail and other stolen personal identifying information, put the information in binders, and sell the profiles to other people to help support her drug addiction. In the course of the investigation, multiple Visalia Police Department detectives were able to contact 85 victims whose personal information was in Murphy’s possession.
