WHITE COLLAR CRIME UNIT CONVICTS CALIFORNIA WOMAN OF ID FRAUD AND $160K RETAIL THEFT

State vs. Natasha Turner

Atlanta-Fulton County District Attorney Paul L. Howard, Jr. announces the conviction by guilty plea of 38-year old Natasha Turner, also known as Tasha Walker, of Oakland, California. Turner was charged with five counts of felony Theft by Taking and seven counts of felony Identity Fraud.

Turner’s crime spree in Fulton County lasted three days in September 2007. During that time, she bilked four area businesses out of a total of 161-thousand dollars using stolen credit cards, false identities and counterfeit drivers’ licenses. On September 10, 2007 Turner purchased a four thousand dollar Rolex watch from Ross Fine Jewelry in Buckhead. She returned the next day and purchased a five carat diamond ring for $53,000. Over the course of the next week, Turner fraudulently purchased clothing, handbags, shoes and additional fine jewelry from other retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Davinci Fine Jewlery and Solomon Brothers Fine Jewelry. Surveillance video from Saks helped break the case allowing all the victims to positively identify the defendant. She was arrested in November 2007 coming out of her hotel room, released on bond, and arrested again in February of this year when she showed up for court a day late.

Ms. Turner is a career criminal and has spent most of the past thirteen years on probation and under court sentences for various crimes including fraud and theft. She has used at least five different social security numbers, eleven aliases and has been arrested 24-times in three states.

Following her plea, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Christopher S. Brasher imposed a 30-year sentence on Ms. Turner with ten years to serve in prison and the balance on probation. As a recidivist, under Georgia law Turner is required to serve every day of her prison sentence without early release. She must also pay restitution.

The case was prosecuted by Brad Malkin, Chief of the White Collar Crime Unit. The case was investigated by Detective Jeff Owens of the Atlanta Police Department’s Major Fraud Unit with assistance from United States Secret Service Special Agent Frederick Houston.

Media Contact: Yvette Brown, 404-224-0560/404-392-8867, yvette.brown@fultoncountyga.gov