WEST PALM BEACH, FL --A man the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office describes as a career criminal has been arrested
on 44 charges ranging from identity theft to grand theft.
The sheriff's office says Johnny Peden conducted several elaborate schemes to defraud financial institutions, car dealerships and car rental agencies in Palm Beach County.
According to detectives Peden would first assume and then utilize the identities of prison inmates from the Mississippi Department of Corrections.
Investigators say once Peden assumed the identities of the prison inmates he would then obtain what appeared to be legitimate Florida Drivers Licenses under the prison inmate’s names.
They say that enabled him to live and move around Palm Beach County unnoticed for the past 9 years.
Peden is accused of defrauding financial institutions out of about $20,000 in Palm Beach County alone and about $620,000 out of auto dealerships and rental agencies.
The sheriff's office conducted a 9 month long investigation before arresting Peden today.
Peden is currently in the Palm Beach County Jail.
