A Hawaii couple was convicted Monday on charges of conspiracy, passport fraud, and identity theft, after stealing the identities of deceased infants to use as their own, NBC News reported.
The U.S. District Court in Honolulu found Walter Glenn Primrose and Gwynn Darle Morrison, referred to by their preferred names of Bobby Fort and Julie Montague, guilty following a two-hour jury deliberation, according to NBC News.
The couple attended a high school together, and a classmate recalled hosting them in his house for a while, stating that the two were planning to change their identities due to significant personal debt, the report adds.
A jury has convicted a Hawaii couple of conspiracy, passport fraud and identity theft for stealing identities and living for decades under the names of dead babies. https://t.co/mg5TASJBml
— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 1, 2023
Prosecutors revealed the real Bobby Fort died over 50 years ago of “a bad cough” having lived only three months, while the true Julie Montague passed away mere weeks after her birth in 1968, per NBC News. (RELATED: Firefighter Allegedly Stole Dead Man’s Credit Card During EMS Call Before Spending Spree)
One of the witnesses in the trial, Tonda Montague Ferguson, testified that she was in the eighth grade when her mother gave birth to her sister, Julie Montague. The witness said her baby sister died due to birth defects three weeks later, the outlet noted.
Primrose, under his assumed identity, also joined the Coast Guard, benefiting from a fake age that made him appear 12 years younger. The couple’s sentencing is scheduled for March, with both facing up to 10 years imprisonment for making false statements in passport applications, up to five years for conspiracy, and mandatory consecutive two-year terms for aggravated identity theft, NBC noted.
