Woman found with 1,000 identities charged with 62 felonies

A 32-year-old Las Vegas woman was charged with 62 felony counts in a superseding indictment in one of the state’s most prolific identity theft cases to date, prosecutors said Friday.

Bridgette Chaplin faces multiple counts each of forgery, obtaining and using personal identification information of another, establishing or possessing a financial forgery laboratory, possessing personal identifying information to establish false status or identity and other charges.

Las Vegas police said Chaplin was operating two forgery laboratories at an apartment complex at 2219 Rancho Drive, near Smoke Ranch Road, and at a home at 6005 Stone Hollow, near Mount Hood Street.

Police discovered about 1,000 identities along with forged documents at the two locations, prosecutors said.

“Chaplin had such a large amount of personal information of others(sic) persons that it would (be virtually) impossible to contact each and every victim, as some are no longer living and other (sic) cannot be located using investigative tools,” according to her four-page arrest report.

During the investigation, officers attempted to contact dozens of people whose identifications were found at the two forgery laboratories.

One man, whose driver’s license, social security card and bank card were found at the Stone Hollow location, told police those items were stolen during an auto burglary.

A woman said her driver’s license, passport, bank cards and Costco club card, which were found at the Stone Hollow home were also stolen during an auto burglary.

During the search of the Rancho apartment, police discovered checks in multiple stages of completion, including from the NVEnergy.

“Chaplin made a comment during the search that the checks we had found were ‘novelties,’ and admitted to printing them,” her arrest report said. She added that she could not be charged for printing novelties.

Chaplin was indicted on 43 charges in September. The superseding indictment added 19 charges.

On Friday, Judge Linda Bell raised Chaplin’s bail from $529,000 to $624,000 based on the new charges. Chaplin has remained jailed at the Clark County Detention Center since her June 22 arrest.

Meanwhile, Chaplin is representing herself in the case and has asked for a speedy trial, court records show. On Sept. 23 she pleaded not guilty to the original 43 charges.

An arraignment hearing on the new charges along with a status check in the case is set for Nov. 4.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-380-1039.