Police say man stole identity for job

What a difference a couple of letters make.

Just ask Eduardo Aguilar.

Aguilar, 48, of Carpentersville, was behind bars Friday in the McHenry County jail facing a felony charge alleging he altered two letters in his first name to take the name and identity of a Southwest suburban man named Edward Aguilar in order to get a job at a McHenry County factory.

Eduardo Aguilar's ruse was uncovered when the Internal Revenue Service sent the real Edward Aguilar a letter earlier this year seeking taxes on $19,292 in income earned under his name at TC Industries in Prairie Grove.

"They wanted to know why he wasn't paying his taxes," Prairie Grove Police Detective Walter Szarowicz said.

Edward Aguilar contacted his local police department about the letter, which forwarded the information to Prairie Grove police. The department investigated and Thursday arrested Eduardo.

Eduardo Aguilar declined to say why and how he took Edward Aguilar's identity, police said. He did tell police he is in the country legally, but authorities have yet to confirm that, Szarowicz said.

Aguilar now faces a charge of identity theft between $10,000 and $100,000, a Class 1 felony punishable by a maximum four to 15 years in prison.

After spending the Thursday night in the McHenry County jail, Aguilar appeared in court Friday morning, where a judge set his bond at $50,000. He remained in custody Friday, unable to post 10 percent of the bond in order to go free. He next is scheduled in court March 14.