Identity theft is "one of the fastest growing crimes in the
United States", according to Attorney General Richard Ashcroft.
In May of 2002, the New York Times' Adam Clymer examined this
new crime phenomenon, and the Justice Department's increasing
enforcement efforts since the federal ID theft legislation went
on the books in1998. Clymer used TRAC data to determine the median
prison sentences for those convicted under a law frequently used
in the prosecution of this crime as part of his overall analysis
of federal enforcement of ID theft.
