Capture the Queen: An Update

Prior post on Esther Elizabeth Reed. From Greenvilleonline.com Esther Reed in court for new federal charges By Eric Connor • STAFF WRITER • April 24, 2008 The woman accused of assuming the identity of a missing Upstate woman to con her way into prestigious universities appeared in court this morning to hear new federal charges against her in Greenville that offer more of a glimpse into how authorities allege the 29-year-old high school dropout duped those around her. Before and after her appearance before the judge, Esther Elizabeth Reed sat quietly but curious of the proceedings of other inmates. The Washington native was bound in handcuffs and wearing thick eyeglasses, frequently peeking her head around attorneys standing in front of her and unwittingly blocking her view of the courtroom. The new charges include allegations that she duped boyfriends and professors, moving from state to state touting a false career as a chess champion, convincing educators and professors to write her letters of recommendation and claiming to be in the witness protection program when she sought help to form another in a litany of new identities. A superseding indictment against Reed charges her with new identity theft and fraud charges in connection with allegations that she stole the identity of Brooke Henson -- a Travelers Rest woman who disappeared nearly nine years ago and whom police believe to be dead -- as well as the identities of five other women from across the country. Reed, who herself disappeared in 1999 from a Seattle suburb and was arrested two months ago outside of Chicago to face identity theft charges in Greenville district court, doesn't appear to have had any hand in Henson's death, authorities say. The indictment alleges that the secret lives Reed led -- using her intellect and fake identities to secure more than $100,000 in student loans, as well as engaging in more-minor schemes such as creating fake store receipts and returning them for cash refunds -- stretch to as early as 2001. In March 2001, Reed secured a Pennsylvania driver's permit in the name of a woman the indictment identifies only as "NF" by using "NF's" name, date of birth and social security number, the indictment alleges. As "NF," Reed "engaged in a personal relationship with a West Point cadet and falsely represented to individuals that she earned a living as a chess champion," the indictment alleges. Reed began using the identity of a woman listed in the indictment as "NB" in August 2002 to attend Cal State Fullerton college in the Los Angeles area. "As 'NB,' Reed took numerous classes at California State Fullerton College, specifically debate classes, and convinced a professor to write a recommendation to Columbia University in the name of the person known as 'BH' by falsely representing that she was in the witness protection program and was forced to change her name," the indictment alleges. In December 2003, according to the indictment, Reed used that relationship with the West Point cadet to convince the cadet's mother, a professor at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, to write a recommendation for her acceptance to Columbia University in New York. That same month, Reed used Henson's identity to earn a GED in Ohio, which she then used in California six months later to earn an SAT college admission exam score good enough to qualify for Columbia University, according to the indictment. Over the course of the next two years, Reed received more than $100,000 in student loans to study in the university's School of General Studies, the indictment alleges. In February 2005, Reed applied to the S.C. Department of Vital Statistics for a copy of Henson's birth certificate using an Ohio identification card, Columbia University identification and Henson's social security number, the indictment alleges. A month later, she received the birth certificate in the mail in Northampton, Mass., and a few months later applied for a passport in Henson's name, the indictment alleges. In July 2005, Reed began working in the Ivy League school's "Vice President University Development Alumni Relations Office and was paid $10 per hour for her services," the indictment alleges. A year later, in July 2006, New York City Police confronted Reed to ask her if she was indeed Henson, "to which Reed replied in the affirmative and was able to answer some of the personal family questions in an effort to verify her identity," the indictment alleges. New York police asked Reed to take a DNA test to confirm her identity but Reed declined and "absconded from authorities," according to the indictment. When Reed was arrested two months ago at a Chicago-area hotel, she was using the identity of a woman referred to in the indictment as "JM," the indictment alleges. Reed assumed the identity of "JM" in December 2006 when she got an Iowa driver's license using a fraudulently made birth certificate from Kentucky and fraudulently made marriage license from Nevada, as well as using the identity of a woman referred to as "KW," the indictment alleges. Reed used the "JM" identity to buy a car from a person in Chicago and registered the car in Iowa, the indictment alleges. Authorities arrested Reed on Feb. 2 at a hotel in Tinsley Park, a small town outside of Chicago, after the "America's Most Wanted" television show aired a segment on her. During her time using other identities, Reed also ran up charges on fraudulently obtained credit cards and used her computer to create fake store receipts and return items for cash refund, the indictment alleges. No bond has been set for Reed as she is in jail awaiting another hearing. Reed faces charges in Greenville, the only charges against her, because of allegations that she applied to a South Carolina's agency for a duplicate copy of Henson's birth certificate, U.S. Attorney Walt Wilkins said. She faces the possibility of 47 years in prison and more than $1 million in fines.