Army Inspector Stole Identities of Soldiers: Feds

A former Fort Campbell inspector whose job was to investigate misconduct was charged today with stealing the identities of Army personnel—including a soldier killed in combat— in a scheme to obtain bank loans, authorities said. A federal grand jury indictment claims that James Robert Jones, 42, of Woodlawn, Tenn., used his position as an assistant inspector general at the Army post along the Kentucky-Tennessee line to obtain personal information of active-duty Army officers, some of whom were deployed to Afghanistan.

He allegedly used the information, including Social Security numbers and dates of birth, to apply for loans in the officers' names. He successfully obtained fraudulent loans from two financial institutions, according to the indictment. Among those targeted was an enlisted soldier who had been killed in combat in Afghanistan. When confronted by investigators, Jones tried to conceal his role by falsely accusing a deceased Army officer of planning the scheme, said the indictment. Jones was indicted on charges of aggravated identity theft, bank fraud, and making a false statement to a financial institution. (More James Robert Jones stories.)