Two men charged in identity thefts

Two Chicago men were arrested Wednesday at an Elgin business and accused of using stolen names and Social Security numbers to gain employment.

Policarpo Sanchez-Cortez, 34, of 3959 W. Wellington, and Alberto Barrera, 43, of 4953 N. Monticello, were each charged with felony financial identity theft, police said.

A 37-year-old Chicago man recently told police he received an Internal Revenue Service seeking taxes on $84,134.14 in wages earned between 2004 and 2006 at John Sanfilippo & Son, 1703 N. Randall Road in Elgin.

Elgin police also heard from a 29-year-old Cicero man who also received an IRS notice stating he earned $41,977.67 for working for the same company from 2006 to the present.

The IRS requested that the back taxes be paid on these amounts and both men told police they had never worked for the company.

When both men were called into the personnel office Wednesday afternoon, they gave detectives their false names until they learned why the officers were there, police said.

After being given their rights, both men admitted they bought their false identities in Chicago and used them only for employment, police said.

Elgin detectives said company officials at John Sanfilippo & Son cooperated with their investigation.

Although both men were from Chicago, one said in court they hadn't known each other until they were taken to the Elgin lockup.

Kane County Judge Susan Clancy Boles told the two men they could receive between four and 30 years in prison if they are convicted of financial identity theft.

If they plead guilty or are found guilty of these offenses, they could be deported since neither is a U.S. citizen.

Sanchez-Cortez and Barrera were unable to post $15,000 bonds and were taken to the Kane County jail with May 29 court dates at the Kane County Judicial Center.