Esther Reed

Esther Reed
Born March 8, 1978 (1978-03-08) (age 34)
Townsend, Montana
Alias(es) Elizabeth Reed
Brooke Henson
Natalie Fisher
Natalie Bowman
Jennifer Myers
Charge(s) Mail fraud
Wire fraud
Identity theft
Social Security fraud
Conviction(s) Fraud
Identity theft
Penalty 51 months
Status Released from prison

Esther Elizabeth Reed (born March 8, 1978, in Townsend, Montana) is an American convicted on fraud and identity theft charges. She is best known for assuming a number of identities, including that of missing person Brooke Henson, to gain entry to universities.

Contents

Biography

Early life and education

Reed was born in Townsend, Montana, to Ernie and Florence Reed in 1978 and was the youngest of Florence's eight children. When Ernie and Florence separated in the early 1990s Esther moved with her mother to Lynnwood, Washington, where she dropped out of high school after a year, shortly after her mother died from cancer.[1]

Missing person

Reed disappeared in October 1999 shortly after she was convicted of stealing her sister's checkbook.[2] She was reported missing in 2004 by her father after Social Security checks revealed she was alive.[3][4][5]

At various times she claimed to be a skilled chess player, and claimed chess tournaments as her income to friends to cover up her financial scams.[6]

Reed assumed the identity of Natalie Bowman, the name of the sister of an acquaintance, to attend Harvard University. At Harvard Reed joined the debating team as they travelled across the country.[1][7][8][9][10][11]

After leaving Harvard Reed became romantically involved with a number of cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point and at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. The US Army Criminal Investigation Command investigated Reed, believing she might have been involved in espionage, when she attempted to procure a certificate from the Army's Assault School.[2]

Between 2004 and 2006 Reed attended Columbia University, using the identity of Brooke Henson, a missing person from South Carolina. In 2006 after an internet search by a potential employer revealed Brooke Henson's real identity, police in South Carolina alerted New York City police to Reed.[1][9][12][13][14][15][16] After agreeing to give DNA to prove she was indeed Brooke Henson, Esther Reed bailed and relocated to Chicago, and changed her identity to Jennifer Myers.[17][18]

She was featured on the United States Secret Service's 10-most-wanted fugitive list and America's Most Wanted on the Fox Television Network.[19][20] 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.[9][21]

Capture

Finally on February 3, 2008, in Tinley Park, Illinois, she was captured by Tinley Park Police who were alerted by the United States Marshals Service that she would be staying at a local hotel.

Conviction

Esther Reed was then extradited to South Carolina where she was tried on four felony charges and a potential sentence of 47 years in prison. Her defense lawyer, Ann Fitz, argued that her behavior was a result of mental illness caused by a strict family upbringing.[22][23]

She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 51 months in prison. She was released from federal prison on October 27, 2011.[24] Reed's Federal Bureau of Prisons register number was 40024-424.[25]

References

  1. ^ a b c Ward, Vicky (February 11, 2009). "How an Ordinary Girl Faked Her Way Into the Ivy League". Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vicky-ward/esther-reed-how-an-ordina_b_166118.html. Retrieved 2009-10-06. 
  2. ^ a b Alpert, Lukas I. (January 8, 2007). "ID THEFT 101: BEAUTY CONS HER WAY ONTO IVYS' ROLLS AS AN ED. RINGER". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/regional/ringer_theft_beauty_cons_her_way_uzNMfKVkXRVCWu4YjmkEDM. Retrieved 2009-10-06. 
  3. ^ Garvey, Marianne; Alpert, Lukas I. (January 12, 2007). "IVY GAL FLED HER PAST". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/ivy_gal_fled_her_past_c4eh7y5RzwiMyPtcRfnitO. Retrieved 2009-09-30. 
  4. ^ Leonard, Tom (March 4, 2008). "Woman's 'nine-year identity fraud spree'". London: The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1580691/Womans-nine-year-identity-fraud-spree.html. Retrieved 2009-10-07. 
  5. ^ Alpert, Lukas I.; Garvey, Marianne (January 22, 2007). "SICK PSYCH-OUT". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/sick_psych_out_4gVkOcxT6GhgIRi1Fr1gqM. Retrieved 2009-10-07. 
  6. ^ Stasi, Linda (December 1, 2007). "How Did She Do It?". New York Post. http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/how_did_she_do_it_WR2AcE82cQoAn5DumW2sOJ. Retrieved 2009-10-06. 
  7. ^ Pignatelli, Margherita (February 19, 2009). "Reed Charged With ID Theft". The Harvard Crimson. http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=526629. Retrieved 2009-10-06. 
  8. ^ Porter, Jane (August 28, 2008). "U.S. Colleges Stumped by Fraudulent Applications". Business Week. http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/aug2008/bs20080828_960253_page_2.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-06. 
  9. ^ a b c "Capture The Queen". CBS News. December 1, 2007. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/29/48hours/main3553118_page2.shtml. Retrieved 2009-09-30. 
  10. ^ Tuchman, Gary (January 19, 2007). "Woman steals another's identity, gets into Ivy League". CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/01/18/missing.con.artist/index.html. Retrieved 2009-10-06. 
  11. ^ "Esther Reed – The secret life of a sophisticated identity thief". Credit Identity Safe. February 8, 2008. http://creditidentitysafe.com/idtheft/esther-reed.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-06. 
  12. ^ "Wie sich eine Hochstaplerin durchs Leben log" (in German). Welt Online. December 14, 2007. http://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article1460366/Wie_sich_eine_Hochstaplerin_durchs_Leben_log.html. Retrieved 2009-10-07. 
  13. ^ Olimpio, Guido (November 4, 2007). "Il giallo della donna dai mille volti "Truffatrice o nuova Mata Hari?"" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. 
  14. ^ Tuchman, Gary (January 19, 2007). "Woman steals another's identity, gets into Ivy League". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/18/missing.con.artist/index.html. Retrieved 2009-09-30. 
  15. ^ Biegelman, Martin T. (2009). "Entry to the Ivy League through ID theft". Identity Theft Handbook: Detection, Prevention, and Security. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 50–52. ISBN 0470179996. 
  16. ^ Bennett, Chuck (May 8, 2009). "IVY CON GAL PLANNED A LIFELONG LIE". New York Post. http://209.10.98.182/seven/05082009/news/regionalnews/ivy_con_gal_planned_a_lifelong_lie_168194.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-07. 
  17. ^ "Con Artist Pleads Guilty to Stealing Missing Woman's Identity to Get Into Ivy League School". Fox News. August 19, 2009. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,406323,00.html. Retrieved 2009-09-30. 
  18. ^ Olimpio, Guido (December 4, 2008). "Usa: tutti a caccia della "regina"" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. http://www.corriere.it/cronache/07_dicembre_04/caccia_regina_usa_aa8eab24-a23a-11dc-9440-0003ba99c53b.shtml. Retrieved 2009-10-07. 
  19. ^ Sullivan, Jennifer (February 6, 2008). "Mountlake Terrace con artist suspect nabbed after nearly a decade on the run". Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004167742_webconartist06m.html. Retrieved 2009-09-30. 
  20. ^ "Most Wanted Fugitive Ester Reed Captured". Fiscal Year 2008 Annual Report. United States Secret Service. pp. 15. http://www.secretservice.gov/FY2008_AnnualReport_WM.pdf. 
  21. ^ "Catch Her If You Can". CBS News. May 9, 2009. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/07/48hours/main4998227_page5.shtml. Retrieved 2009-09-30. 
  22. ^ Schafer, Susanne M. (February 10, 2009). "Defense seeks court mercy for Ivy League ID thief". Fox News. http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2009Feb10/0,4670,IdentityTheftIvyLeague,00.html. Retrieved 2009-10-07. 
  23. ^ Leonard, Tom (February 11, 2009). "Ivy League identity thief 'was hiding from strict family'". London: The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/4585579/Ivy-League-identity-thief-was-hiding-from-strict-family.html. Retrieved 2009-09-30. 
  24. ^ "Esther Elizabet Reed." [sic] Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on 2011-10-30.
  25. ^ "Esther Elizabet Reed." [sic] Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on January 10, 2010.

External links