Akron man accused of stealing dozens of identities for financial gain

A 33-year-old Akron man is accused of stealing and using dozens of people's identities to purchase items and apply for loans and credit cards, according to court documents.

This comes months after North Canton Airbnb owners discovered that Christian Hensley had made a reservation using the name of a deceased business owner. Police arrested Hensley on Feb. 13 at the rental property on charges of drug possession and violating parole.

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When police searched the property again the day after his arrest, they discovered over a dozen cellphones, computer equipment, notebooks and a box containing personal information including Social Security numbers, addresses and phone numbers.

An affidavit filed July 14 accuses Hensley of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, stating he used this information to illegally obtain money from businesses and individuals.

Hensley's defense attorney did not respond to an email request for comment.

FBI investigation looks into alleged wire fraud, identity theft

Hensley allegedly stole and used the identity of the co-owner of a home healthcare service company called Heart O' Gold Home Care LLC to book the North Canton Airbnb.

According to court documents, which include details of an FBI investigation, Hensley hacked into the Heart O' Gold business email, Amazon and Huntington Bank accounts, using them for his own profit. The healthcare company reported money missing from its bank account in early February to the police.

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Found in Hensley's phone were confirmation emails for 41 Amazon orders for electronics and computer equipment. These emails were sent to accounts using information from Heart O' Gold and another deceased individual.

Hensley is also accused of applying for a $50,000 business loan in early February using the healthcare company's email address and the deceased owner's name. Listed in the application is a new name, which investigators determined belonged to another victim of identity theft.

That new name was found in Hensley's cellphone with additional personal and account information.

The affidavit also accuses Hensley of applying for a $10,000 loan using an email address for a business called Dove Homes Inc. while claiming to be another person.

In the loan application, according to court documents, he used that person's Social Security number, date of birth, home address and cellphone number. This information was found in the notebooks seized at the North Canton Airbnb.

Statements from Hensley while incarcerated

Hensley is now serving a five-month sentence at the Lake Erie Correctional Institution for aggravated possession of drugs. Statements made by Henlsey, while incarcerated, were reviewed in the FBI investigation.

In several phone calls, according to the complaint, he discussed how he would continue to steal identities outside of the correctional facility.

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"I'm still gonna do my hacking thing," Hensley said. "I can pull BMV records, I can title jump, I can make profiles and have somebody come in and buy an Escalade and turn around and we can keep the money from the financing and then do whatever with the Escalade."

In some calls, he mentioned how he would target the FBI agent and police officer for identity fraud because they investigated him, according to court documents.

Found guilty of misrepresenting identity in 2022

Akron police arrested Hensley last year on charges of criminal trespassing at a self-storage facility, and-he identified himself as someone else — giving himself a Florida driver's license.

At the time, he had two credit cards in another person's name.

Hensley allegedly gave law enforcement multiple Social Security numbers and birthdates belonging to other people, claiming them as his own.

He was found guilty of misrepresenting his identity. One count of criminal trespass was dismissed, according to Akron Municipal Court records.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Christian Hensley accused of stealing dozens of identities for fraud