California Man Poses as Woman for 13 Years, Accused of Identity Theft

[Shana A]

By ABC News
Mar 16, 2012 3:02pm
California Man Poses as Woman for 13 Years, Accused of Identity Theft

By Melissa Morrissette

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/california-man-poses-as-woman-for-13-years-accused-of-identity-theft/

A man accused of stealing and using a woman's identity for 13 years has been arrested — but not before racking up thousands of dollars in medical bills and creating a living nightmare for his victim, say authorities.

Perla Serrano was found by a deputy in San Clemente, Calif., sleeping in a public area in violation of a city ordinance. The deputy believed the 51-year-old homeless man was a woman, but grew suspicious when he saw a hospital wristband with a different name.

"The deputy called San Clemente Hospital and was informed by San Clemente personnel that the person was actually a man, not a woman," said Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.