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Jun 30, 2008 5:08 pm US/Central
Dallas Judge Gives Woman 38 Years For ID Theft
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
A woman who stole thousands of dollars from North Texas nursing home patients and fast food customers and employees will face the longest identity theft sentence in Dallas County history.
It is often said that authorities try to 'send a message' with the sentences they hand down. Monday Furnioes Parker received a 38-year prison sentence for felony ID theft.
Parker was convicted of taking personal information from customers, co-workers and patients. Judge Andy Chatham issued the sentence after a Monday morning hearing, during which Parker did not take the stand. The 42-year-old pled guilty to the charges against her last month.
During the hearing Monday, a number of children of Alzheimer's patients at the C.C. Young Retirement Community in Dallas took the stand. The men and women testified that they saw their parent's names tarnished by Parker, who worked at the home as a retirement aid.
"I just can't imagine the need to steal from someone who is helpless," testified Stephen Toon whose parent was a victim of Parker's.
Parker also worked at several fast food restaurants in Duncanville. From those jobs the woman stole ID information from at least 79 people and used it to obtain gift cards, cell phones and satellite receivers for her and her eight children.
The degree of theft was so large that the case was one of the first to qualify as a first-degree felony under a new Texas law.
Prosecutors had sought a life sentence against Parker. Defense attorneys were asking for probation. It's believed Parker received the harsher sentence because she has more than two dozen prior felonies on her police record.
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