Cedar Rapids woman will serve 15 years in prison for identity theft

CEDAR RAPIDS - A 34-year-old Cedar Rapids woman was sentenced to 15 years in prison last week for stealing the identity of her sister and three other victims to open bank accounts, receive a car loan and even to obtain a job.

Ferdos Latif Al-Yassiri pleaded guilty in September to identity theft and being a habitual felon, three charges of identity theft and two charges of forgery. The total punishment for all charges is 25 years in prison but the judge ran the sentences concurrently for a total of 15 years in prison.

Al-Yassiri at the plea hearing admitted to opening fraudulent bank accounts between November 2013 through February 2014 in her sister's and other victims' names, which resulted in a loss of over $10,000. She also admitted to stealing another person's Social Security number to get a job at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Oct. 24, 2013.

Al-Yassiri also will ordered to pay victim's restitution and a hearing is set to determine that amount Dec. 10 in Linn County District Court.