Police: Soldier’s house-sitter stole identity - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Police: Soldier’s house-sitter stole identity

ERWIN, N.C. — A Harnett County soldier’s decision to ask a friend to house-sit during his deployment to Afghanistan led to a massive betrayal of trust that included identity theft, the fraudulent sale of possessions and the friend’s death, according to police in Erwin.

Police are probing the death earlier this month of Neil Phillips, who agreed in May to house-sit for Roberto Beharry during the latter’s deployment in Afghanistan, according to The Daily Record of Dunn.

Everything appeared to be fine until Aug. 7, when police got a call saying Beharry was a victim of fraud. The soldier, who remains in Afghanistan but has been in contact with police, was notified that his home in Erwin had been put up for sale on the Internet.

After investigating, police discovered that Phillips had been selling dozens of items belonging to Beharry, including three cars, firearms and major appliances.

“He looked enough like Beharry to pass himself off as him,” Lt. Bill Morris said. “Had the real estate transaction gone through, the loss would have been in excess of $100,000.”

Phillips died just as police were obtaining warrants for his arrest, under circumstances that remain under investigation. Two women found his body in a local cemetery; among his possessions were a gun and Beharry’s ID.

Detective Regina Autry declined to discuss the specifics of the investigation into Phillips’ death, saying only that it remains an ongoing probe.

Using Beharry’s photo ID, Phillips had apparently been selling off the soldier’s property for about two weeks before police were notified, mostly using the website Craigslist. Phillips even received $1,000 down payments from two different people on the house, and a $300 down payment on a nearby parcel of land.

Police are now trying to track down where all the items went, and have identified at least 12 recipients so far. One of Beharry’s cars was found nearly 50 miles south, in the town of Shannon, with a new owner who had already gotten a title for the vehicle. So far, 118 items have been recovered.

“We have a few kitchen items, two cars, a handgun and a washer and dryer left to find,” Morris said.

Police have no plans to file criminal charges against any of the people who bought the property.

“He told them he was going through a divorce or that he was moving,” Morris said of Phillips. “All the stories were legitimate enough that no one is getting charged with possession of stolen goods.”