Oklahoma City, OK — Two individuals have been arrested in connection to a multi-month identity theft spree that involved the creation of fake bank accounts and theft of thousands of dollars. Christen Bowen and Kile Eugene Martin allegedly stole the identities of others and used them to open accounts at City National Bank, depositing fraudulent checks into these accounts.
The scheme reportedly began in January, with Bowen using the identity of an Ohio woman to open an account at a City National Bank location on Northwest Expressway. On the same day, an “unknown black male” deposited a check for $5,181.13 into the new account. Authorities say Bowen withdrew $4,902 from the account in February.
A month later, Martin opened an account using a Florida man’s identity, with another check for $14,246.40 being deposited into the account by the same unknown individual. Bowen is also accused of opening two additional accounts at another bank location under different names, with further checks deposited by the same person.
In March, following the creation of the last account, Bowen and Martin were pulled over by Edmond Police during a traffic stop, where authorities discovered fentanyl and other drugs, as well as a fake Texas driver’s license and stolen checks. Though the pair was arrested and later released, they were taken into custody again by Oklahoma City Police just days ago for their involvement in the identity theft scheme.
The total amount stolen has not been disclosed, and authorities have not clarified the source of the fraudulent checks or whether additional arrests will be made. City National Bank declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
