Mother Urged Teen Son to Make Higher Profits From Identity Theft: Police

A 14-year-old high school student and his mother have been charged in connection with an identity theft scheme, a Florida sheriff's office announced on Friday.

Law enforcement officials began investigating the high schooler, Elijah Duett, in May when he was charged with making threats to kill a student "who didn't pay into an organized pyramid fraud scheme he was running," the Volusia Sheriff's Office wrote in a news release.

Deputies said that during their investigation, they discovered that the 14-year-old was allegedly "purchasing a significant amount of stolen personal and financial information online."

"In addition to social security numbers, credit card numbers and login information for a wide range of banks and websites, Elijah also had detailed instructions on the steps and equipment needed to forge money orders," the sheriff's office wrote.

Investigators say they located 17 victims of identity theft and grand theft who were impacted by the scheme around the United States. They also said that they found messages between Duett and his mother, 38-year-old Selena Wallace. Deputies say that in the messages, Wallace allegedly told her son that she "wished he could use his special abilities in a legal way—but then asked him to raise his prices to make higher profits."

Duett was arrested and was charged with 15 counts of identity theft, obtaining property by fraud, and illegal use of credit cards. Wallace was arrested "on principal charges to each count, along with contributing to the delinquency of a minor."

The sheriff's office says that its investigation is ongoing. Newsweek has reached out to the office for comment and updates.

In a separate incident in September, several people were arrested in connection with an identity theft case involving victims in the deadly Surfside, Florida, building collapse that happened last June. Three suspects were taken into custody for allegedly stealing the identities of seven deceased victims.

In January, a man in Florida pleaded guilty to stealing the identity of his twin brother to steal $64,000 in veteran benefits. The man used his brother's information to apply for subsidized housing benefits, medical services, and nutritional benefits, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida said at the time.

Also in January, a man who is originally from Brazil was accused of stealing the identity of an American child who died in a car accident in 1979, and used it during his career as a flight attendant for 23 years.