Artestine Ramey and Jessica Washington. (Credit: Chicago Police Department)
From John Dodge
CHICAGO (WBBM) — a West side woman and her granddaughter face charges in an elaborate ID theft and fraud scheme to make money from gas and electricity service.
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Chicago police say the “Operation Heat Wave” investigation began when Peoples’ Gas and Commonwealth Edison became suspicious about hundreds of accounts that were being opened in the names of elderly, disabled and nursing home residents.
The utility contacted police. Investigators now say that Artestine Ramey, 61, and her granddaughter, Jessica Washington, 24, both of the 4100 block of West Potomac Avenue, had been taking money from utility customers whose gas and electric service had been disconnected because they hadn’t paid their bills.
According to police, those customers would pay Ramey and Washington a fee to get their service restored. They would set up phony accounts in the names of unsuspecting ID theft victims.
The bills would then go to the innocent victims. a police source tells WBBM that Peoples Gas and Comed were defrauded of as much as half a million dollars. Ramey is charged with felony theft and identity theft. her granddaughter faces an additional forgery charge.
