A case investigating two Bremerton women suspected of running an identity theft and fraud scheme that scammed victims across the state out of hundreds of thousands of dollars is now being prosecuted at the federal level.
The United States Attorney’s Office announced in a statement that Heather Marquis, 36, plead not guilty to all 14 counts in U.S. District Court in Tacoma on Tuesday. She and 33-year-old Emily Vranic, who was arraigned last week, face charges of aggravated identity theft, conspiracy, bank fraud and wire fraud.
Originally arrested by the Bremerton Police Department in November last year, BPD began investigating the two women in August after reports of stolen cars were traced to be in their possession . After public records requests revealed documents claiming ownership of the vehicles were forged, BPD returned with a search warrant to a Navy Yard City home and discovered blank Washington driver’s license templates, identification card templates and identification cards belonging to several individuals…