Rochester Woman Accused of Using Maryland Resident’s ID for Apartment, Utility & Phone Accounts

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- An arrest warrant has been issued for a suspect in a Rochester identity theft case. 

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The warrant, filed in Olmsted County Court on Thursday, says the victim received a notice in August that an account she never opened had been sent to collections. 

Rochester police began investigating the case in October of last year. 

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Rochester Woman Accused of Using Maryland Woman's ID to Rent Apartments, Open Accounts With Utility, Phone and Credit Card Companies

The victim, who is described in the complaint as a Maryland resident who has never been to Minnesota, told police that an account with a Rochester utility company was opened in her name. 

She said the account had an outstanding balance of $1,352.49 and the address associated with the account was a Rochester apartment complex. The utility company informed officers that two accounts, associated with two different apartments, were opened in the victim’s name, the charges say. 

An apartment manager told police the victim’s name was used to lease an apartment in July of 2022 and that the victim’s identity was used for a lease for a second apartment in November of 2023. 

Officers learned both of the apartments tied to the utility accounts were also rented in the victim’s name. Police then identified the identity theft suspect as 32-year-old Antonia Maria Shaaron Johnson, the warrant says. 

The charges say Johnson opened the utility account for the first apartment then transferred it to the second apartment. 

Apartment management told officers Johnson stopped paying rent on the apartment in the victim’s name in October of 2023 and moved out of the unit for the second apartment in December of 2023, according to the warrant. 

She then abandoned the second apartment that same month. The complaint says $5,307.82 in rent went unpaid. 

The victim told police she had used her social security number for a rental application for an apartment in Washington D.C. She then received notifications about her identity being used in 2022 to open accounts for multiple services including a credit card and cellphone companies. 

Johnson is alleged to have used the phone number associated with the account opened in the victim’s name as part of her contact information for the apartment she first rented, according to the warrant. 

In November, Rochester police executed a search warrant at Johnson’s residence and found $75,000 in cash and packages that bore the victim’s name and address of the apartment Johnson is accused of using the victim’s name to rent, the complaint says. 

Johnson is charged with two felony counts of identity theft and a felony theft of services count.

The court document says law enforcement has not been able to locate Johnson after searching her apartment. They are requesting a warrant after deeming her unlikely to respond to a summons order.