A Naperville man allegedly used stolen credit card information to pay off thousands of dollars in court fines.
Brenton Thurman, 28, was charged with a felony count of identity theft, according to the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office.
In March, Thurman used stolen credit card and bank information to make multiple payments to the county clerk’s office to cover court fines for himself and several others, prosecutors said. Thurman allegedly took cash payments from the other people to cover the costs, but instead used the stolen credit card information to pay the fines.
In total, Thurman paid roughly $6,000 to the clerk’s office to cover all the fines, prosecutors said. The scheme was ultimately uncovered by the clerk’s office and referred to the state’s attorney’s office.
“The behavior alleged against Mr. Thurman is outrageous and, if proven guilty, will not go unpunished,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert B. Berlin said in a statement. “In addition to allegedly victimizing several individuals, Mr. Thurman allegedly attempted to defraud our system of justice all while lining his pockets at the expense of others.”
During a Tuesday hearing, a DuPage County judge granted the state’s motion requiring Thurman to show that any cash used for bail wasn’t made illegally, prosecutors said.
Thurman is being held at the DuPage County Jail on $10,000 bond, according to the DuPage County sheriff’s office. His next court date was set for
