Zion woman gets probation for ID theft

A Zion woman was placed on probation for two years Friday after she admitted using another woman’s financial information to run up more than $3,000 in utility bills.

Porcha Cunningham, 31, pleaded guilty to identity theft during a hearing before Lake County Circuit Judge James Booras.

Assistant State’s Attorney Tim Niehus said a 20-year-old Gurnee woman contacted police in January of last year because she was receiving calls from collection agencies.

The agencies were demanding payment on past-due accounts the woman had not opened, Niehus said.

Gurnee police investigated and discovered the accounts had been opened with the victim’s identification but all were for service at Cunningham’s address in the 4000 block of Douglas Drive in Zion.

The investigation showed Comcast was owed $908, AT&T was due $997 and ComEd was owed $1,211, all for service between Oct. 1, 2009 and January of last year.

Police went to Cunningham’s residence and she admitted opening all three accounts.

Booras ordered Cunningham to pay a total of $3,116 in restitution and said $1,500 of that amount would be taken from the bond Cunningham had posted.

Booras ordered Cunningham to pay the balance of the restitution within a year, and said she must perform 100 hours of community service during her probation.

Niehus said Cunningham could have been sentenced to up to five years in prison if she had been convicted after a trial.