Woman struggles to get job after identity thief sticks her with criminal charges

ORLANDO, Fla. — Latarsha Kinchen never thought proving she is the real Latarsha would be such a challenge.

“It's very frustrating because I haven't done anything, I'm the victim here, but I'm the one suffering,” she said.

When a woman named Africa Money James told police she was Latarsha in 2014, the two women’s identities became intertwined.

“I hope it’s not for life. I hope not. That would be devastating,” she said.

What is devastating is the criminal history attached to Kinchen’s name – in a case where she’s actually the victim.

The clerk of courts site shows Kinchen convicted of a handful of crimes – and even a letter to the judge asking for an “identity hearing” has not solved the problem.

The judge told her to go to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, but they’ve given her a document showing her compromised identity, and that’s not helping.

The Department of Corrections said the information comes from the local state attorney’s office, which helped clear her license, but not her name.

The state attorney’s office told Channel 9’s Janine Reyes it is “looking into this.”

Kinchen cannot pass a background check to get a new job – and she says while officials are looking into the case, she’s losing her ability to support her family.

“I want to restore my name and get a job so I can take care of my children,” she said.

Cox Media Group