A 67-year-old American man who was living in Chiang Mai has been sentenced to two years in jail in a U.S. court for identity theft.
Bruce Alexander McIntyre from Carbondale, Colorado was alleged by the U.S. Department of Justice to have assumed the identity of another person over 25-years ago and had been traveling the world using the identity since. He is said to have assumed the false identity after absconding while on bail after being arrested in 1994 in Arizona on money laundering and marijuana distribution.
The stolen identity only came to the attention of authorities after the person whom McIntyre stole his identity from applied for a passport in December 2018. In doing so, an alert was triggered as McIntyre had renewed a passport using the same name and details in January 2017.
Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, McIntyre was found living in Chiang Mai. According to the DOJ, McIntyre was arrested in Chiang Mai Jan. 30 and held in detention before being extradited to the U.S.
“No matter where you go, if you are wanted by federal authorities you will eventually be found and held accountable,” U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn said in a statement. “This case demonstrates that hiding under a stolen identification won’t work.”
