Builder turned to fraud after wife ditched him for fake Elvis Federal Way man led ring of ‘pathetic crowd of fellow addicts’ in id theft spree against dozens of people

A Federal Way man who led what his attorney described as a ring of ‘pathetic crowd of fellow addicts’ in id theft spree against dozens of people says it all came apart for him when his wife ran off with an Elvis impersonator. The actual Elvis Presley is pictured above presenting a ham to Washington Governor Al Rosellini at Seattle's Westlake Avenue Monorail station in 1962. less A Federal Way man who led what his attorney described as a ring of ‘pathetic crowd of fellow addicts’ in id theft spree against dozens of people says it all came apart for him when his wife ran off with an ... more Photo: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Archive, As Preserved By The Museum Of History & Industry Photo: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Archive, As Preserved By The Museum Of History & Industry Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Builder turned to fraud after wife ditched him for fake Elvis 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Having led a Seattle-area identity theft ring, Rick Thompson admits he’s to blame for his troubles.

But the Elvis impersonator who stole his wife’s heart, well, he deserves just a little bit too.

Thompson, 58, was the head forger for a small ring of frauds that operated for years around Seattle, Federal Way and Tacoma. They raided mailboxes and parked cars for checks and credit cards, and then Thompson faked driver’s licenses to match.

“He created a market for stolen identifying information, which provided an easy way for fraudsters to make money from stealing people’s identities and thereby multiplied the number of crimes and victims,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Manheim said in court papers.

The group fleeced more than 50 people, defrauding customers at Bank of America, Columbia Bank and Sierra Central Credit Union. They also used fraudulent credit cards issued from several department store chains, including Nordstrom.

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Investigators believe the fraud lasted nearly four years before Thompson and the rest were caught printing fake Washington driver’s licenses to match stolen or forged checks and credit cards.

As frauds go, it wasn’t a tremendously profitably one. Thompson and his codefendants – Judy Harvey, Linda Parker and Jennifer Lasky – stole at least $115,000. All four were charged with bank fraud, while Thompson, Parker and Lasky were charged with aggravated identity theft as well.

Thompson’s arrest in 2014 came at a true low point in what had been a productive life.

Thompson provided for his wife and family for 20 years by running his own construction company. Then, in the early 2000s, his wife ran off with an Elvis impersonator and he lost himself in alcohol, methamphetamine and prescription painkillers.

“Without employment or the clear thinking of sobriety, he turned to ‘easy’ money with his pathetic crowd of fellow addicts,” defense attorney Sean Gillespie said in court papers.

“He knows now how stupid that was, just as he knew it before he plunged into severe addiction. But in the middle of that horrible time, he was just a failed entrepreneur who (lost) his 20-year marriage to a casino-dwelling Elvis impersonator.”

Writing in court papers, a U.S. Secret Service special agent described a multi-jurisdictional investigation into the crime ring. The effort grew to involve seven police departments and several federal task forces.

On Jan. 16, 2014, a Fred Meyer security manager provided investigators a thick file related to the group. Members had passed more than 750 counterfeit checks at Fred Meyer stores, beginning in May 2010.

The fraudsters presented well-forged identification papers matching the information on checks. Investigators would discover that Thompson was printing the driver’s licenses to match checks stolen during car prowls or mailbox break-ins, or forged during the conspiracy.

Thompson had been stopped by police several times before the federal prosecution got underway. His Federal Way home was searched in August 2013 by investigators looking into a drug ring; his gold Ford Taurus was packed with counterfeit checks and licenses.

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That apparent near-miss didn’t dissuade Thompson from more forging. He continued the fraud into early 2014. Parker and Harvey also had trouble with police during the fraud, but kept at it.

Thompson was identified by several of his codefendants as the leader of the ring. Investigators raided his home on Feb. 13, 2014, discovering counterfeiter’s tools and identifying information about potential victims. His wood stove was packed with a burned hard drive, ID cards and checks.

Acting on a tip, investigators later returned to the home to clear out a hidden closet. Inside, they found more forgery tools and fake driver’s licenses.

Thompson and the three women ultimately pleaded guilty to related charges. Having been convicted three times before for similar crimes, Thompson was sentenced Wednesday to five years in federal prison.

Court records show Thompson lived a crime-free live until his marriage came apart. He lost his business shortly thereafter; Gillespie, his attorney, said Thompson was suffering from depression as well as addiction.

“In the world of criminal law, this is an extremely rare species, the person who stays trouble-free for a half century before his or her life hits the skids,” said Gillespie, an attorney with the Seattle firm Carney Gillespie Isitt. “Such a fall from grace does not happen without a reason. Truly, no fall from grace happens without a reason, but Mr. Thompson’s personal scenario eliminates a cynical theory that he was predisposed for this. …

“His crimes were the opportunistic outbursts of a pathetically desperate man thrown into drug addiction by a failed 20-year marriage that he perceived as his own fault.”

Prosecutors agree that Thompson appears to have cleaned himself up since the crime spree. Having spent most of his life as law-abiding and productive before getting into meth, he recently marked 400 days of sobriety; he has spent most of that time free on bond.

Manheim argued that, while certainly life-changing, Thompson’s marriage woes didn’t excuse his behavior.

“While (Thompson’s) divorce was no doubt difficult, people undergo substantial life changes all the time, and such traumatic personal changes do not justify plaguing a community with a five-year fraud and identity theft scheme,” the federal prosecutor said in court papers.

In a letter to U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly, Thompson explained his work toward recovering from his addictions and his joy at finding honest work recently.

“I understand, and take full responsibility for my actions,” Thompson wrote. I do look forward to putting all this behind me, and continue in my recovery.

“I know this wonderful life I enjoy today is a direct result of my doing the right thing. Out of all this, I have been truly blessed.”

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.