StarBulletin.com

Fraud suspect faces $1M bail


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POSTED: Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Susan E. Shaw of Kailua lived the high life, according to the city prosecutor's office.

Her husband told police she traveled every 10 days. Police tracked her travels over the past year between China, Canada, California, New Jersey, Florida and Hawaii.

She purchased designer bags and clothes and told merchants she was an entertainment lawyer.

But that was a lie, said Chris Van Marter, deputy prosecutor.

Shaw did not even have a job, Van Marter said. He said she financed her travels and purchases with credit card accounts she opened using the identities of at least 11 other people since January 2008.

An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging Shaw with 122 crimes, including first- and second-degree identity theft, first- and second-degree theft, credit card theft, second-degree forgery, unauthorized possession of confidential personal information, money laundering and using a computer to commit a crime.

Shaw remains in custody, unable to post $1 million bail.

Five of the charges are Class A felonies punishable by mandatory 20-year prison terms, but Van Marter said the state will seek to have her sentenced to life in prison if found guilty.

Van Marter said the loss to the credit card companies is more than $160,000. He said that figure, the number of crimes Shaw faces and the number of victims could go higher.

Police seized a laptop computer from Shaw on Thursday and two desktop computers from her home. They have yet to analyze the information in them.