Esther Reed
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Esther Elizabeth Reed (born March 8, 1978) is an American woman convicted of fraud and identity theft charges. She is best known for attending
California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...
and
Columbia University School of General Studies The School of General Studies, Columbia University (GS) is a liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such c ...
using stolen identities, including that of missing person Brooke Henson.


Biography


Early life and education

Reed was born in 1978 in
Townsend, Montana Townsend is a city in and the county seat of Broadwater County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,787 at the 2020 census. History Lewis and Clark passed through on the voyage of discovery in 1805, although the first white settlers, h ...
, to Ernie and Florence Reed, the youngest of Florence's nine children. After her parents separated in the early 1990s, Reed moved with her mother to
Mountlake Terrace, Washington Mountlake Terrace is a suburban city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It lies on the southern border of the county, adjacent to Shoreline and Lynnwood, and is north of Seattle. The city had a population of 19,909 people counted ...
. Reed dropped out of
Mountlake Terrace High School Mountlake Terrace High School is a public high school located in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, United States. Mountlake Terrace HS is known for its Jazz Band and basketball program, which has won the Wesco Championship eight times. It is the thi ...
in 1995; three years later, her mother died of colon cancer.


Missing person

In October 1999, Reed pleaded guilty in
King County, Washington King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...
to attempted possession of stolen property. Shortly after, Reed disappeared and her family did not hear from her again. She was reported missing in 2004 by her father after social security checks revealed she was alive. While Reed was missing, she assumed the identities of other people. Reed's situation is unusual because, unlike most identity thieves, she did not use the identities to run up credit card debt. Instead, she used the fictitious names to obtain an education and start a new life. In 2001, Reed assumed the identity of Natalie Bowman and enrolled as an adjunct student at
California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...
in
Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Sa ...
. While at Fullerton, Reed joined CSUF's debate team and competed in several tournaments, often advancing to the final round. At CSUF, Reed became friends with several debaters at the
United States Military Academy at West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
and at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. She dated one of the cadets for an extended period of time. Eventually the
US Army Criminal Investigation Command The United States Army Criminal Investigation Division (USACID), previously known as the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC) is the primary federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Army. Its p ...
investigated Reed, believing she might have been involved in
espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...
; the investigators determined these suspicions were unfounded. In 2003, Reed moved on and earned her GED, using the identity of Brooke Henson, another missing person from
Travelers Rest, South Carolina Travelers Rest is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,576 at the 2010 census, a small increase from 4,099 in 2000. By 2018 the population had jumped to 5,253. It is part of the Greenville– Mauld ...
. Reed also took the SAT and achieved a score of 1400. Using her new credentials, Reed applied to Columbia University, School of General Studies, and was admitted to the university. She attended Columbia for two years, where she majored in psychology and had a 3.22 GPA. In 2006, after an internet search by an employer revealed Brooke Henson's real identity, police in South Carolina alerted
New York City police The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the New York City, City of New York, the largest and one of ...
to Reed. After agreeing to give DNA to prove she was indeed Brooke Henson, Esther Reed fled New York City. She relocated to
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
and changed her identity to Jennifer Myers. Reed was featured on the
United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...
's 10-most-wanted fugitive list and ''
America's Most Wanted ''America's Most Wanted'' (often abbreviated as ''AMW'') is an American television program whose first run was produced by 20th Television, and second run is under the Fox Alternative Entertainment division of Fox Corporation. At the time of i ...
'' on the
Fox Television Network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
. She was featured twice in '' 48 Hours Mystery'' episodes on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
: the first, ''Capture the Queen'', aired in 2007, and the second, ''Catch Her If You Can'', aired in 2009.


Capture

On February 3, 2008, in
Tinley Park, Illinois Tinley Park (formerly Bremen) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County. The village is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 55,971. It is one of the fastest growing suburbs ...
, Reed was captured by Tinley Park Police who were searching the entire area for a gunman who shot and killed five women at a
Lane Bryant Lane Bryant Inc. is an American women's apparel and intimates specialty retailer focusing on plus-size clothing. The company began in 1904 with maternity designs created by Lena Himmelstein, Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin. Lane Bryant, Inc., is ...
store. The police were checking all out-of-state license plates in the area. Reed's car was in a Sleep Inn motel parking lot in the area. Federal marshals and police knocked on her motel door and asked her for her ID. The authorities noticed that the ID she handed them had been flagged by the Secret Service, so she was transported to the police station for questioning, where she confirmed her real name.


Conviction

After being found by the police, Reed was
extradited Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdict ...
to
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
, where she was tried on four
felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...
charges related to fraud and identity theft. Facing up to 47 years in prison, she pled guilty. At her sentencing, Reed's attorney argued that her behavior was the result of mental health issues stemming from the death of her mother and severe social anxiety. The lawyer said that Reed began to experience social phobia during her freshman year of high school, that her difficulties were mitigated by the presence of her mother, and that once she lost her mother's support, Reed's life began to unravel. Reed was sentenced to 51 months in prison and was released from federal prison on October 27, 2011.Esther Elizabet Reed
"
Federal Bureau of Prisons The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Justice that is responsible for the care, custody, and control of incarcerated individuals who have committed federal crimes; that i ...
. Retrieved on October 30, 2011.


References


External links


The girl who conned Cal State Fullerton
''Daily Titan'', May 5, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Esther 1978 births Living people People from Townsend, Montana American people convicted of fraud American confidence tricksters Columbia University School of General Studies alumni People from Mountlake Terrace, Washington California State University, Fullerton alumni Harvard Extension School alumni