A Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputy, accused of participating in an identity theft scheme, has been arraigned on federal charges.
Officials say 42-year-old Frantz Felisma, of Boynton Beach, used his police department-issued laptop computer to access a law enforcement database in order to obtain personal identification information belonging to numerous individuals.
Felisma is accused of selling this information to a co-conspirator, whom the indictment says then used the identities of at least 15 of these victims to set up credit card and bank accounts to steal tens of thousands of dollars in the names of the victims.
The alleged crimes happened between January 2013 and July 2014. The U.S. Attorney's Office says it confiscated multiple Apple phones from Felisma's home.
Felisma was previously arrested on a criminal complaint and was ordered held without bond pending trial by Magistrate Judge James M. Hopkins.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office says Felisma is a road patrol deputy and joined the department in July 2009.
Felisma is currently on administrative leave without pay from the sheriff’s office.