We are Robert and JoAnn Hartle. At one time we were living a comfortable life in the mid-west but that all ended when my identity was stolen by a career criminal. He learned the details of my life including my date of birth, social security number and much more. With this information, he was able to obtain over $100,000.00 of various kinds of credit including a mortgage, motorcycle, credit cards, thus ruining our good name.

We took our situation and turned it around after finding that there were no laws dealing directly with stealing one's personal information in Arizona or any other state. We were successful in getting the criminal arrested and prosecuted at the state and federal levels using criminal laws unrelated to Identity Theft. This conviction was the direct result of two people. Assistant County Attorney in Phoenix, Jerry Landau and Assistant U.S. Attorney in Phoenix, Dan Drake. Their untiring efforts on our behalf became the catalyst for us to go on to the next step in righting a wrong due to the lack of any specific ID Theft laws in the United States.

We moved back to Arizona to assist in the investigation and prosecution. After the case was concluded, we authored and contacted State Senator Tom Smith of the Arizona Legislature who introduced our bill that has since become the first law ever in the United States covering Identity Theft crimes. We then contacted Congressman John Shadegg and Senator Jon Kyl and seeing the need for a federal law, they went to work and introduced on our behalf the "Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998". The law went into effect in 1998.

It is so designed that even if a state does not have its own State law, the Federal law can be used by any State Attorney General to prosecute, making the person whose identity was taken the victim. We feel honored that our names appear in the Congressional Record recognizing our efforts.

We were privileged to work with Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley to establish "The Identity Theft & Technology Crimes Bureau of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office."

We have been told that we are the first people in history to get the same felony law passed at the State and Federal levels.

We continue to work with the newly elected Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas in improving the State Identity Theft laws; we now have two additional Aggravated Identity Theft laws in the State of Arizona.

We were asked to speak at the Arizona State Special Appropriations Committee hearing on May 21st, 2009 in regard to Sanctuary Cities across Arizona and the effect on Felony ID Theft and Felony ID Theft in employment. (Arizona's number one crime).

We are very pleased to have received from President George W. Bush "The Points of Light Award for the month of January, 2005".

We formed ID Theft Services, Inc. A 501c3 corporation to assist other victims and to give seminars and workshops to law enforcement and prosecutors including the National Association of Attorneys General. Senior citizens groups and many more. Our web site is www.idfraud.org, and our e-mail is idfraud@qwest.net.

We have published an informational guide to help and inform victims and the public as to the horrendous affects of this vicious crime now referred to as the number one robbery crime in America as well as the world.

Foreign countries are feeling the effects of this crime as well and are establishing their own laws. Some of which are patterned after our State and Federal laws. That we have sent to them. 

© 2009, ID Theft Services, Inc., All rights reserved.

ID Theft Services, Inc.

A Non-Profit Educational Corporation

9408 S. 14th Avenue        

Phoenix, AZ 85041