Woman Facing 10 Felonies in Identity Theft Case

A woman who allegedly stole and forged checks belonging to a Santa Monica dentist is facing 10 felony charges including identity theft and second-degree commercial burglary.

Virna Marquez, 30, of Los Angeles, was arrested Nov. 30 by Santa Monica Police after a month-long investigation into the theft of checks belonging to a man who had filled out several checks and put them in a mailbox inside his office building in the 2400 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. He was identified in prosecutors' criminal complaints as David Taft, a Santa Monica-based dentist.

Several days later, a Wells Fargo employee called Taft to inquire about the checks, which had been "washed" and made payable to a woman he didn't know.

Investigators tracked down the woman's mailing address in Inglewood, where they conducted surveillance and arrested Marquez. Police said they searched her car car and found alleged fraudulent credit cards and a tool used to pull mail from mailboxes.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office filed 10 felony charges against Marquez, including three counts of identity theft involving Taft, another man and South Bay View Terrace. She was also charged with burglary tool possession, falsifying financial statements, and second-degree commercial burglary for allegedly attempting to cash fraudulent checks at two Wells Fargo brances in Los Angeles and Texas.

Stay connected with Santa Monica Patch throughout the day on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to our free daily newsletter for email updates.