ID Theft Suspect Annette Ford Says She Had Help Inside Post Office

ATLANTA -- A Duluth woman accused in the identity theft of nearly 6,000 people has pleaded guilty Monday to her role.

Annette Ford, 47, is accused of filing false tax retus and cashing people's refund and Social Security checks.

In court, Ford’s attoey made it clear she wasn't working alone and was not the one who physically stole the checks.

Channel 2’s Kerry Kavanaugh confirmed Monday Ford may have help from someone inside the U.S. Postal Service.

In April, the first evidence was presented that there was a problem.

That evidence included stacks of tax retus, stolen refund checks and Social Security checks and an entire legal pad with handwritten names, birth dates and Social Security numbers, which Duluth investigators said they found inside Ford’s home.

Investigators poured through the paperwork and discovered nearly 5,500 victims of identity theft from Georgia to Texas to Califoia.

Ford was in a federal courtroom Monday, having reached a plea agreement with the U.S. attoey.

A major part of the plea agreement said Ford is expected to tell prosecutors who else played a role in this identity theft ring.

Her attoey made a point of telling the judge she was not the one stealing checks and that several other people made large sums of money.

Court records show Ford received checks that were stolen from the mail.

Sources close to the investigation tell Kavanaugh the person who was physically stealing the checks may have an employee of the U.S. Postal Service.

Prosecutors told the judge no other people have been charged yet.

Defense attoey Nick Lotito told Kavanaugh initially Ford did not know the checks were stolen.

The judge set her sentencing for Aug. 24th. Ford could face up to seven years in prison.