This month, a grand jury in Multnomah County indicted the wife of a Portland woman on charges of identity theft and forgery, marking a significant turnaround after Portland police had previously dropped their investigation due to a “lack of tangible leads.”
Laura McCabe is facing seven felony counts linked to alleged identity theft against her wife, Danielle Del Prado. Del Prado shared her experiences with InvestigateWest in September, revealing the frustrating standstill of the criminal investigation. At that time, both law enforcement and the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office cited legal complexities and limited resources as significant obstacles to proceeding with Del Prado’s case.
In addition to the criminal charges, Del Prado is pursuing a civil lawsuit against McCabe for $6.2 million, claiming identity theft, emotional distress, and other damages. This lawsuit is still active.
Pat Dooris, a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office, emphasized the importance of collaboration with an investigator from the Oregon Department of Justice specializing in financial crimes to advance the case. Del Prado noted that the investigator reached out to her just five days after InvestigateWest’s report underscored the challenges faced by victims like her in seeking justice against spouses accused of identity fraud.
Del Prado first uncovered the identity theft in February 2023 when she received multiple urgent voicemails from the fraud department at Gesa Credit Union in Washington, attempting to verify loan and credit line applications made in her name. Being abroad at the time, Del Prado had not applied for these loans. Upon reviewing her credit report, she discovered that nearly 50 institutions had conducted hard inquiries regarding numerous loans and credit lines she had never authorized.
To date, Del Prado has identified unauthorized applications amounting to over $417,000, including $31,350 in loans and credit lines that were approved. Despite gathering evidence and communications with McCabe, Del Prado was advised by police in late 2023 and early 2024 that her ongoing divorce case, filed in March, was the most suitable avenue for addressing her claims.
Experts note that criminal identity theft cases involving spouses are uncommon. According to the national Identity Theft Resource Center, only 4% of identity misuse victims in 2023 identified ex-spouses or partners as the perpetrators. Kevin Demer, a senior deputy district attorney in Multnomah County, stated through a spokesperson that identity theft cases are “not often charged as a criminal matter between spouses.”
