Carpentersville teen charged with stealing ID to get job

A Carpentersville teen has been charged with stealing someone's identity to get a job at Old Country Buffet, police said Monday.

Bond was set at $75,000 on Friday for 17-year-old Jose M. Jara, of the 100 block of Golfview Lane, who is charged with identity theft and possession of fraudulent identification.

Police said Jara used personal information belonging to a 28-year-old man, also of Carpentersville, to make more than $20,000 working at Old Country Buffet at Spring Hill Mall from February 2008 to September 2009.

Carpentersville Police Cmdr. Michael Kilbourne said it appears others have also used the same victim's information for employment, and the investigation is ongoing.

"The victim stated he had received information from a government agency that he was employed in multiple locations at the same time," Kilbourne said. "The name and information has been used elsewhere. We're still investigating who else."

Jara appears to have no prior criminal history in Kane County, according to court records. He remained in the county jail Monday, pending a Jan. 12 court appearance in front of Judge T. Jordan Gallagher.

If convicted of the most serious charge, a Class 1 felony, Jara could be sentenced to four to 15 years in prison. He had no attorney listed in court records.