Bellevue police identity theft crackdown results in lengthy prison sentence for former WMW fugitive
Patrick McCabe, left, and Paul Bauer (Photos: Bellevue Police Dept.) CAPTURE UPDATE December 31, 2014 -- Two suspects were recently sentenced for numerous counts of Identity Theft after separate investigations by Bellevue Police detectives and others, the Bellevue Police Department said. The suspects, Patrick McCabe and Paul Bauer, were sentenced earlier this month in King County Superior Court. Bauer received 100 months in prison after pleading guilty to 15 counts of identity theft first degree with aggravating circumstances, and McCabe received 25 months in prison after pleading guilty to 13 counts of identity theft second degree, and 25 months of probation under “Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative,” which could result in the 25 month probation being converted back to prison for non-compliance or further criminal conduct while on probation. McCabe’s case gained media attention earlier this year after he was featured as a suspect on “Washington’s Most Wanted”, and later arrested after a tip from a viewer. A Bellevue Police investigation revealed that McCabe was running an elaborate mail and identity theft operation out of a condominium in Bellevue. A joint investigation by investigators in five counties revealed that Bauer was responsible for numerous identity theft cases involving at least 16 separate victims throughout King, Snohomish, Pierce, Thurston, and Kitsap Counties, and had stolen over $200,000 from those victims. Lieutenant Patricelli with the Bellevue Police Department stated: “this investigation shows that identity theft cannot and will not be tolerated in our community. As a result of the hard work of our detectives, two career criminals are behind bars.” Bellevue Police remind citizens to frequently check their bank accounts for fraudulent activity, and install locking mail boxes to prevent mail theft.
CAPTURE UPDATE August 6, 2014 -- Patrick McCabe pleaded "not guilty" in court on Wednesday and a judge refused his request to be released from jail. He'd changed his look from dark hair in his prior photos to bright yellowish-blonde hair.
FUGITIVE CAPTURED July 30, 2014 -- The accused ringleader of massive identity theft operation is in custody. Washington's Most Wanted host David Rose says Patrick McCabe was arrested in The Tri-Cities following Crime Stoppers tips from the show's viewers. He had been on the run since a raid at a Bellevue condo several weeks ago. Bellevue Police had been searching for him after busting the ID theft ring that had more than 100 victims from Everett to Federal Way. Detectives say they found more than 60 fake driver's licenses in the condo including one using Mickey Mouse's photo used to show other criminals how to make the bogus ID's. Four other suspects believed to be working for McCabe are also in custody. FUGITIVE WANTED IN BELLEVUE July 19, 2014 -- A man accused of being the ringleader of a massive identity theft crew is on the run. Patrick McCabe has several convictions already for identity theft. Detectives found dozens of fake driver’s licenses, 67 bogus credit cards as well as social security cards in a condo following a search warrant.
They have arrested four people in the ID theft ring so far. "He would send them out to break into cars, houses, break into mailboxes, a lot of stolen mail that we found. They would bring that back and if they found any identifying information like a check or credit card, they would make a fake ID so they could go to the bank and cash the check,” said Bellevue police Ofc. Seth Tyler. He cautions people to get a mailbox that you can lock and to black out your address on your registration in your car. “That's fine. If you just want to have your name that shows that you are the owner, you can take a sharpie so they don`t have your address if they break into your car,” said Tyler. Neighbors play a crucial role in preventing crime. “What happened in this case was the neighbor saw some stolen construction signs in their courtyard of the suspect's apartment, called us and we went and investigated and that led to this huge ID theft ring being busted, so the lesson here is if you see something that doesn't look right, say something,” said Ofc. Tyler. Detectives say McCabe is driving a 2010 Blue Volkswagon Jetta and is believed to be in the Seattle or Bellevue areas. If you know where he is, call an anonymous tip into: CRIME STOPPERS: 1-800-222-TIPS CLICK HERE for information on how to TEXT A TIP to Crime Stoppers