A mouthful of shiny, white teeth. An expensive French Bulldog.
These are some the items police say a Florida man purchased after stealing the identity of another man who suffers from Alzheimer's Disease.
Deputies in Volusia County say Timothy Powell, 52, obtained a fake Connecticut drivers license with the personal information of an Alzheimer's patient who lives in Florida. Combined with other information, including the victim's social security number, deputies say Powell applied for credit at Friedman Dental Group to fix "his extremely rotten teeth."
Deputies say Powell had his remaining teeth extracted and implants put in. During a police interview, Powell stated that "a portion of the 110 implants have not yet been done and that some of his teeth are only temporary."
The dental company was notified of possible fraud when the victim's caretaker began getting bills for the dental work for $25,000 and $16,000, deputies say. The caretaker quickly notified investigators.
Deputies say they were able to identify the suspect, who has prior arrests, through photo and fingerprint evidence found on medical and loan documents he fraudulently signed.
Additionally, deputies say Powell used the victim's identity to apply for credit at Comenity Bank. He then used that credit line to purchase a nearly $10,000 French bulldog at a Petland location in Plantation, Fla.
Powell now faces identity theft charges. Deputies say they are still investigating to possibly determine the identity of a second defendant in this case.
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