Best Person of the Week: Mount Olive Police Officer Arrests Girls Scout Leader for Identity Theft

Sometimes it’s nice to shine a light on those who do great things when fighting the battle against identity theft. For our second official installment of the “Best Person of the Week” post, we once again praise a member of law enforcement who brought an identity thief to justice.

This week, we would like to thank Officer Joseph Abrusci of the Mount Olive (NJ) Police Department who arrested Kelly Willard, a local Girl Scout Troop leader who had stolen the identities of two scout volunteers. After a three-week investigation, Officer Abrusci determined that she was responsible for applying for credit cards using personal information from two volunteers – and she purchased more than $2,000 worth of goods on one card.

Here’s what Police Chief Mark Spitzer had to say to NJ.com: “This is a good investigation by one of our veterans. Scouting is all about promoting good citizenship, so we should all remember it is the actor who is accused of the crime, not the organization. But if something doesn’t seem right people shouldn’t hesitate to report it.”

While we admit this bust is not as major as busting a ring of Nigerian immigrants who targeted U.S. soldiers overseas, it falls nicely into our stories about criminals purchasing tummy tuck procedures, living like rock stars, or forging checks in deceased soldiers’ names. Yes, a story about a Girls Scout troop leader gone bad is worth showcasing – and it’s Friday, so we could not help ourselves.

So kudos to Officer Abrusci! You are officially the “Best Person of the Week.”