Esther Reed Explained

Birth Name:Esther Elizabeth Reed
Esther Elizabeth Reed
Birth Date:March 8, 1978
Birth Place:Townsend, Montana, U.S.
Alias:Brooke Henson
Natalie Fisher
Natalie Bowman
Jennifer Myers
Charge:Mail fraud
Wire fraud
Identity theft
False Statements
Conviction:Fraud
Identity Theft
Conviction Penalty:51 months
Conviction Status:Released from prison on October 27, 2011

Esther Elizabeth Reed (born March 8, 1978) is an American woman convicted of fraud and identity theft charges. She is best known for attending California State University, Fullerton and Columbia University School of General Studies using stolen identities, including that of missing person Brooke Henson.[1] [2] [3]

Biography

Early life and education

Reed was born in 1978 in Townsend, Montana, to Ernie and Florence Reed, the youngest of Florence's nine children. After her parents separated in the early 1990s, Reed moved with her mother to Mountlake Terrace, Washington. Reed dropped out of Mountlake Terrace High School in 1995;[4] [5] three years later, her mother died of colon cancer.[6]

Missing person

In October 1999, Reed pleaded guilty in King County, Washington to attempted possession of stolen property. Shortly after, Reed disappeared and her family did not hear from her again.[4] She was reported missing in 2004 by her father after social security checks revealed she was alive.[7] [8] [9] While Reed was missing, she assumed the identities of other people.[10] Reed's situation is unusual because, unlike most identity thieves, she did not use the identities to run up credit card debt. Instead, she used the fictitious names to obtain an education and start a new life.[11] [12]

In 2001, Reed assumed the identity of Natalie Bowman and enrolled as an adjunct student at California State University in Fullerton, California.[13] [14] [3] While at Fullerton, Reed joined CSUF's debate team and competed in several tournaments, often advancing to the final round.[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] At CSUF, Reed became friends with several debaters at the United States Military Academy at West Point and at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. She dated one of the cadets for an extended period of time. Eventually the US Army Criminal Investigation Command investigated Reed, believing she might have been involved in espionage; the investigators determined these suspicions were unfounded.[20] [6]

In 2003, Reed moved on and earned her GED, using the identity of Brooke Henson, another missing person from Travelers Rest, South Carolina. Reed also took the SAT and achieved a score of 1400. Using her new credentials, Reed applied to Columbia University, School of General Studies, and was admitted to the university. She attended Columbia for two years, where she majored in psychology and had a 3.22 GPA.[11] [12] [21]

In 2006, after an internet search by an employer revealed Brooke Henson's real identity, police in South Carolina alerted New York City police to Reed.[22] [17] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] After agreeing to give DNA to prove she was indeed Brooke Henson, Esther Reed fled New York City. She relocated to Chicago and changed her identity to Jennifer Myers.[28] [29]

Reed was featured on the United States Secret Service's 10-most-wanted fugitive list and America's Most Wanted on the Fox Television Network.[30] [31] She was featured twice in 48 Hours Mystery episodes on CBS: the first, Capture the Queen, aired in 2007, and the second, Catch Her If You Can, aired in 2009.[17] [32]

Capture

See main article: Lane Bryant shooting. On February 3, 2008, in Tinley Park, Illinois, Reed was captured by Tinley Park Police who were searching the entire area for a gunman who shot and killed five women at a Lane Bryant store. The police were checking all out-of-state license plates in the area. Reed's car was in a Sleep Inn motel parking lot in the area. Federal marshals and police knocked on her motel door and asked her for her ID. The authorities noticed that the ID she handed them had been flagged by the Secret Service, so she was transported to the police station for questioning, where she confirmed her real name.[33] [34] [35]

Conviction

After being found by the police, Reed was extradited to South Carolina, where she was tried on four felony charges related to fraud and identity theft. Facing up to 47 years in prison, she pled guilty. At her sentencing, Reed's attorney argued that her behavior was the result of mental health issues stemming from the death of her mother and severe social anxiety. The lawyer said that Reed began to experience social phobia during her freshman year of high school, that her difficulties were mitigated by the presence of her mother, and that once she lost her mother's support, Reed's life began to unravel.[11] [21] [36] [37] [6] [38] Reed was sentenced to 51 months in prison and was released from federal prison on October 27, 2011.[39]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: The Girl Who Conned Cal State Fullerton . Daily Titan . Gaitan, Adrian . May 5, 2010.
  2. News: Reed Charged With ID Theft . Harvard Crimson . February 19, 2009 .
  3. Web site: Giacobbe . Alyssa . Admissions of Guilt? . Boston Magazine . September 27, 2010 . September 21, 2016 . September 23, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160923020538/http://www.bostonmagazine.com/2010/09/admissions-of-guilt/2/ . dead .
  4. News: Feds searching for local woman in ID theft cases . The Seattle Times . Jennifer . Sullivan . November 1, 2007.
  5. Web site: Local News | Con artist from Mountlake Terrace sentenced to 4 years in ID theft, fraud | Seattle Times Newspaper . December 26, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131228114856/http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008739579_imposter13m.html . December 28, 2013 .
  6. News: Sabrina Rubin Erdely. The Girl Who Conned The Ivy League. 21 April 2023. sabrinaerdely.com. June 11, 2009. Rolling Stone.
  7. News: Ivy Gal Fled Her Past. New York Post. January 12, 2007. September 30, 2009. Garvey. Marianne. Alpert, Lukas I..
  8. News: Woman's 'nine-year identity fraud spree'. The Telegraph. March 4, 2008. October 7, 2009. Leonard. Tom. London.
  9. News: Sick Psych-Out. New York Post. January 22, 2007. October 10, 2009. Alpert. Lukas I.. Garvey, Marianne.
  10. News: How Did She Do It?. New York Post. December 1, 2007. October 6, 2009. Stasi. Linda.
  11. Web site: The girl who conned Cal State Fullerton . Daily Titan. May 5, 2010 . December 25, 2017.
  12. News: Con artist pleads guilty to stealing missing woman's identity to get into ivy league school. Foxnews.com. August 19, 2008. December 25, 2017.
  13. Web site: The girl who conned Cal State Fullerton . Daily Titan. May 5, 2010 . December 25, 2017.
  14. Web site: Pignatelli . Margherita . Reed Charged With ID Theft | News | The Harvard Crimson . Thecrimson.com . February 19, 2009 . September 21, 2016.
  15. News: The girl who conned Cal State Fullerton . Daily Titan. Adrian . Gaitan . May 5, 2010.
  16. News: U.S. Colleges Stumped by Fraudulent Applications. https://web.archive.org/web/20080905114905/http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/aug2008/bs20080828_960253_page_2.htm. dead. September 5, 2008. Business Week. August 28, 2008. October 6, 2009. Porter. Jane.
  17. News: Capture The Queen. CBS News. December 1, 2007. September 30, 2009.
  18. News: Woman steals another's identity, gets into Ivy League. CNN. January 19, 2007. October 6, 2009. Tuchman. Gary.
  19. Web site: Esther Reed – The secret life of a sophisticated identity thief. February 8, 2008. Credit Identity Safe. October 6, 2009.
  20. News: ID Theft 101: Beauty Cons Her Way Onto Ivys' Rolls As An Ed. Ringer. New York Post. January 8, 2007. October 6, 2009. Alpert. Lukas I..
  21. News: Mother's death led to identity thefts. Helena Independent Record. May 9, 2009. December 25, 2017.
  22. News: How an Ordinary Girl Faked Her Way Into the Ivy League. Huffington Post. February 11, 2009. October 6, 2009. Ward. Vicky.
  23. News: Wie sich eine Hochstaplerin durchs Leben log. Welt Online. December 14, 2007. October 7, 2009. German.
  24. News: Il giallo della donna dai mille volti "Truffatrice o nuova Mata Hari?". Corriere della Sera. November 4, 2007. Olimpio. Guido. Italian.
  25. News: Woman steals another's identity, gets into Ivy League. CNN. January 19, 2007. September 30, 2009. Tuchman. Gary.
  26. Book: Biegelman, Martin T.. Identity Theft Handbook: Detection, Prevention, and Security. Entry to the Ivy League through ID theft. John Wiley and Sons. 2009. 50–52. 978-0-470-17999-4. registration. https://archive.org/details/identitythefthan00bieg_0/page/50.
  27. News: Ivy Con Gal Planned A Lifelong Lie. New York Post. May 8, 2009. October 7, 2009. Bennett. Chuck.
  28. News: Con Artist Pleads Guilty to Stealing Missing Woman's Identity to Get Into Ivy League School. Fox News. August 19, 2009. September 30, 2009.
  29. News: Usa: tutti a caccia della "regina". Corriere della Sera. December 4, 2008. October 7, 2009. Olimpio. Guido. Italian.
  30. News: Mountlake Terrace con artist suspect nabbed after nearly a decade on the run. Seattle Times. February 6, 2008. September 30, 2009. Sullivan. Jennifer.
  31. Book: Fiscal Year 2008 Annual Report. United States Secret Service. 15. Most Wanted Fugitive Ester Reed Captured. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120825185354/http://www.secretservice.gov/FY2008_AnnualReport_WM.pdf. August 25, 2012.
  32. News: Catch Her If You Can. CBS News. May 9, 2009. September 30, 2009.
  33. Web site: Moser . Whet . The strange disappearance and inadvertent capture of Esther Reed | Bleader . Chicago Reader . February 6, 2008. September 21, 2016.
  34. News: Columbia Con Artist Nabbed in Chicago . New York . Daily News.
  35. Web site: Local News | Missing Mountlake Terrace ID-theft suspect arrested | Seattle Times Newspaper . December 26, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131228112313/http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2004168906_conartist07m.html . December 28, 2013 .
  36. News: Con artist pleads guilty to stealing missing woman's identity to get into ivy league school. Fox News. August 19, 2008. December 25, 2017.
  37. Web site: Pignatelli . Margherita . Reed Charged With ID Theft | News | The Harvard Crimson . Thecrimson.com . February 19, 2009 . September 21, 2016.
  38. News: Ivy League identity thief 'was hiding from strict family' . The Telegraph . February 11, 2009 . September 30, 2009 . Leonard . Tom . London.
  39. "Esther Elizabet Reed." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on October 30, 2011.

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