Identity thief didn’t know her victim is billionaire NBA team owner, Texas cops say

When a woman in Texas bought Tilman Fertitta’s identity on the dark web, she had no idea that he was the billionaire owner of the Houston Rockets, police say.

Stephanie Hunter, 27, spent about $10 to buy Fertitta’s social security number on the dark web last year, KPRC reported. She told the outlet she had no idea who Fertitta was and that someone else suggested she purchase his information.

Fertitta owns Houston’s NBA team, the Rockets, as well as Golden Nugget Casinos and Landry’s, a restaurant and entertainment company.

He’s worth an estimated $4.8 billion, according to Forbes.

Hunter allegedly used Fertitta’s identity to open two lines of credit: $15,000 at Capital One and $5,000 at Conn’s, according to court documents

She allegedly tried to purchase furniture at Conn’s but ultimately didn’t buy anything using the credit lines, police said.

Identity theft prevention company LifeLock alerted Fertitta when the Capital One account was opened in his name, court documents indicate. Officials were able to track Hunter down because she’d used her own address on the credit applications, police said.

Hunter was arrested on an unrelated marijuana charge in October and ultimately confessed to stealing Fertitta’s identity, according to court records.

She’s charged with fraudulent use of identifying information and false statement to obtain credit, KTRK reported. She was released on $10,000 bond.

This story was originally published February 26, 2020 at 9:25 AM.