Guilty Plea By Woman Charged in Rochester Identity Theft Case

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A plea deal has been worked out in the case of a former Twin Cities woman charged with multiple counts of identity theft in Rochester.

52-year-old Cassie Mae Cullen was charged last year in Olmsted County Court in connection with an investigation launched by the Rochester Police Department in 2020. Court records show it started with the arrest of Cullen after she was allegedly caught in possession of numerous fraudulent checks, financial transaction cards, and personal identifying information on other individuals.

The criminal complaint says that led to the execution of a search warrant involving her hotel room and vehicle that led to the confiscation of two bags of papers that included personal and identifying information on approximately 200 individuals and businesses. The charges alleged that the materials included 76 checks written to other people or organizations for about $56,000, along with credit and debit cards, social security cards and numbers, and driver’s licenses and other pieces of identification.

The court documents indicate Cullen gave a statement to investigators and told them that she was in Rochester for her husband's medical appointments and she relapsed on methamphetamine. The criminal complaint says she stated that her drug use led to "dumpster diving" to find documents useful for identity theft and that she used the information to apply for a financial card in another person's name.

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Cullen, who previously lived in Brooklyn Park and now has an Illinois address, was charged with felony counts of identity theft and receiving stolen property.

Under the terms of a Petition to Enter Plea of Guilty filed in Olmsted County Court, she has agreed to admit to the identity theft charge in exchange for the dismissal of the stolen property count and a recommendation for a downward departure from state sentencing guidelines.

She is scheduled to finalize the plea agreement at a court hearing in January.