Elaborate ID Theft Operation Busted In Tuolumne County

VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. (CBS13) -- Federal investigators have arrested a Tuolumne County IT technician on charges of orchestrating a complex identity theft ring that victimized at least 1,400 people.

Michael David Garcia is accused of targeting his company's clients, a CPA firm and a law firm in Stockton, by hacking into their secure servers and stealing personal information.

The suspect allegedly used that information to open his victims' bank accounts and cashing out, eventually taking more than $100,000.

When the FBI tracked the crimes to Garcia's home in an upscale Valley Springs neighborhood, they said they discovered evidence that he had gone to great lengths to hide his activity.

Garcia allegedly made numerous fake military, homeland security and California IDs to open more bank accounts with his victim's information, and even hired a drug addict to dress up in a U.S. Border Patrol uniform to withdraw money from a bank.

The suspect is also facing charges of money laundering and counterfeiting.