Leader of $100k Pierce County fraud scheme found guilty

Man accused of leading $100k fraud scheme in Pierce County found guilty

Kyle Wayne Rittenhouse, accused of leading a $100,000 fraud scheme in the South Sound, was found guilty on multiple counts of identity theft Monday.

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - A man accused of leading a $100,000 fraud scheme in the South Sound was found guilty on multiple counts of identity theft Monday.

A jury found Kyle Wayne Rittenhouse guilty of six counts of first-degree identity theft, seven counts of second-degree identity theft, and first-degree organized retail theft.

Rittenhouse, who was 29 at the time, was arrested in early 2023 after a victim reported his mail had been stolen, and noticed a $6,000 fraudulent credit card charge made at a Home Depot. There was another charge for over $2,600 at a Lowe's, but it was declined.

Using surveillance video from the stores, Pierce County deputies identified three suspects, who were all arrested together. The sheriff's department originally estimated there were 22 different victims of Rittenhouse's scheme.

Deputies say while searching Rittenhouse's truck, they recovered stolen checks totaling up to $121,193.81, along with a detailed notebook of victims’ social security numbers, credit card numbers, emails, tax ID numbers and more.

Rittenhouse posted bail but cut off his ankle bracelet in November 2023, a month after he agreed to plead guilty to multiple charges against him.

Investigators tracked Rittenhouse down in January 2024 and arrested him outside the Tacoma Mall after a brief struggle. He apparently had to be tased due to his aggression and was found guilty of resisting arrest on May 24.

Rittenhouse's co-defendant and girlfriend, Chelsie McDaniel, pleaded guilty to several felony charges earlier in June.