Kim Kardashian's identity stolen by Lake Mary man in celebrity scheme

A 19-year-old who lived at home with his mom and worked at a local call center stole the identities of America's rich and famous - including Kim Kardashian and the head of the FBI - and took over their financial accounts.

Armed with a flash drive full of private information on politicians and celebrities, Luis Flores Jr. illegally gained access to credit cards and transferred thousands of dollars of other people's money into his bank account.

Earlier this week, Flores learned he'll spend the next 3 1/2 years in federal prison for his identity theft scheme.

The U.S. Secret Service began investigating Flores and his mother Kyah Green in May, when American Express reported suspicious activity on numerous accounts.

According to records filed in Orlando federal court, someone called American Express claiming to be Kardashian, knew the reality television star's private information and then changed the primary Social Security number on the account to that belonging to Flores.

The mailing address for the account was changed to the Lake Mary apartment Flores shared with Green, and the caller requested a replacement card be mailed.

Then, two additional replacement cards were ordered for another Kardashian account, as well as one belonging to her celebrity mother Kris Jenner, records said.

On May 22, Secret Service agents watched as UPS delivered the items to Flores at his apartment.

Agents confronted Flores and Green about the cards, but the mother and son refused to cooperate.

At the time, Flores was already facing criminal charges in state court, where he was accused of taking private information from a coworker's personnel profile and having his colleague's paycheck directly deposited into his own bank account. Flores was fired from the AT&T call center where he worked, and eventually convicted in that case, court records said.

Throughout their investigation, federal agents also learned that SunTrust suspended Flores' bank account for suspected fraud because there were two wire transfers totaling roughly $71,250 that were made from Jenner's accounts.

SunTrust investigators had nearly a dozen surveillance video pictures depicting Green withdrawing cash at ATMs from that suspicious account.

According to court records, authorities uncovered other fraudulent activity linking Flores to financial accounts owned by actor Ashton Kutcher, U.S. Marshals Service Director Stacia Hylton, and realty star Paris Hilton.

On June 15, then-director of the FBI Robert Mueller received an email notifying him that information on his Chase Bank credit card was changed. Court records said the name on the card was changed to Luis Flores, and the address changed to his Lake Mary apartment.

Meanwhile, American Express authorities told agents that numerous fraudulent online applications for new accounts were opened via the Internet that were associated with Flores. Those applications were in the names of Hilton and Kutcher.

On June 24, agents searched Flores and Green's apartment and found a flash drive that contained Social Security numbers, bank and credit card accounts and credit reports for all of the victims in the case, as well as Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama, Bill Gates, Beyonce Knowles and other politicians.

Agents said the information came from a website launched by hackers last year.

But even after agents searched their apartment, court records said, Flores did not halt his scheme.

Agents said Flores called American Express on July 25 and tried to access the accounts of Tom Cruise, Gates and Kutcher, using each of their Social Security numbers.

Flores and Green were each charged federally and subsequently pleaded guilty in October.

Green was also sentenced to three years of probation because she lied to federal agents to cover-up her son's fraud.

apavuk@tribune.com or 407-420-5735