identity theft

Colorado had no ability to prosecute New York woman for unauthorized credit card use, appeals court rules

Jul 24, 2025

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Michael Karlik

Douglas County prosecutors had no basis to pursue charges of identity theft and unauthorized use of a financial device against a woman in New York whose conduct occurred entirely outside of Colorado, the state’s second-highest court ruled on Thursday. Erin Brennan and her children lived in New York and her ex-husband moved to Colorado after…
Colorado justices mull level of proof needed for crime of possessing others’ debit cards

Jun 25, 2025

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Michael Karlik

Members of the Colorado Supreme Court considered on Tuesday whether simply having another person’s debit card amounts to the crime of possessing someone’s “financial device,” or if prosecutors must also prove the card is functional. During oral arguments, Justice Richard L. Gabriel said he was worried about over-criminalizing conduct that, practically speaking, might not have…
Colorado justices point to quirk in identity theft law, agree man’s conviction cannot stand

Jan 21, 2025

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Michael Karlik

The Colorado Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday that a man could not stand convicted of identity theft for using the “personal identifying information” of a nonprofit entity, rather than a human being. The state’s identity theft law applies to people who, without authorization, use the financial identifying information or personal identifying information “of another” to obtain something…
Colorado Supreme Court weighs meaning of ‘personal identifying information’

Oct 25, 2024

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Michael Karlik

Members of the Colorado Supreme Court pondered on Thursday whether “personal identifying information” under the state’s identity theft law only encompasses humans, or if businesses can have personal identifying information, too. The government argued legislators enacted the identity theft law in 2006 to deter fraudulent conduct, and the meaning of personal identifying information should be…
Colorado Supreme Court to hear cases on identity theft, child prostitution

Sep 27, 2023

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Michael Karlik

The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will review two criminal appeals, one questioning the level of proof needed to convict a man for trying to prostitute a child and the other addressing whether an organization can be the victim of identity theft. At least three of the court’s seven members must consent…
By 4-3, state Supreme Court blocks probable cause hearings for class of defendants

Jan 30, 2023

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Michael Karlik

Even though all parties agreed John Robert Hacke will receive a mandatory prison sentence if convicted of identity theft, a majority of the Colorado Supreme Court decided on Monday that Hacke is not eligible for a hearing where he can challenge prosecutors’ evidence of probable cause. By 4-3, the Supreme Court found the requirement in…
Gardner grills Equifax CEO about data breach in Senate committee

Nov 10, 2017

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Jessica Machetta

Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) questioned former Equifax CEO Richard Smith and Equifax interim-CEO Paulino do Rego Barros, Jr., about the company’s massive data breach at a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing. Equifax said in September that hackers breached a flaw in their system, stealing names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and driver’s…
Identity data held by Denver on citizens, employees found to be unprotected

Dec 17, 2016

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Mike McKibbin

Private, personal information such as full legal names, drivers license and Social Security numbers of thousands of citizens and current and former City and County of Denver employees were accessible to as many as 10,000 city workers, an audit by the city auditor found. No evidence of unintended, improper or illegal viewing or access was…