Prelim exam date set in Iron County identity theft case

HURLEY — A preliminary examination date has been set in the case of an Iron County woman accused of identity theft.

A preliminary exam will be held Oct. 4 in the case of Wendy Sue Wuorinen, 47, of Ironwood Township. Wuorinen is facing 26 felony counts of identity theft. Each count carries a potential maximum sentence of six years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000.

According to a Hurley Police Department report, Wuorinen is alleged to have used her job at the Iron County Community Credit Union to withdraw approximately $7,613 from a customer’s account without authorization during a period between November 2014 and December 2015.

The report said over that year-long period, payments totaling the same amount were also made to Wuorinen’s credit card.

Wuorinen met with Hurley Police Chief Chris Colassaco after he contacted the credit union for information about the victim’s transaction history. She told Colassaco she had the information he requested and then said she had “wanted to come to the police sooner, however she was advised not to,” according to the report.

When Colassaco asked her to explain, Wuorinen claimed she had recently discovered the money was being withdrawn from the account and put on her card and she had been working to resolve the error.

While Wuorinen denied any wrong doing, the report noted the investigation turned up evidence that appeared to contradict her claims.

Among the claims the report presents apparently contradictory evidence for are: Her statement that she didn’t review her statements, that the credit card company had offered her a deal lowering her interest and removing the need for payments until the end of 2015 and that the incorrect email address may have been connected to the credit card account.

During the investigation, a spreadsheet was compiled detailing the number of inquiries and transactions performed on the victim’s account.

According to the report, there were 199 inquiries and 117 transactions performed for the period of November 2014 to December 2015, with 148 inquiries and 45 transactions attributed to Wuorinen.

The owners of the credit union were unable to provide an explanation for why the victim’s account may have that much activity, according to the report.

The report also noted the high numbers corresponded with the number of alleged thefts from the victim’s account.

It also noted Wuorinen was the only one who benefited from the alleged theft.

The department continued to investigate the case for the following months, with the charges against Wuorinen ultimately filed earlier this summer.