ID theft victim jailed for 22 days

NEW YORK, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- A victim of identity theft who was stopped for a traffic violation was jailed for 22 days because Massachusetts state troopers did not check his fingerprints.

Jerry Santiago's name, birth date and Social Security number matched those of a man wanted in New York City for jumping bail, The New York Daily News reported. But his description did not match that of the missing man, and he also gave police proof that his identity was stolen in 2006 during a visit to Puerto Rico.

Prosecutors in Massachusetts told a judge there that state police had positively identified Santiago, a Holyoke, Mass., resident, through fingerprints.

However, a judge in the borough of Queens ordered Santiago's release after he was transported to New York and his fingerprints turned out not to match the bail jumper's.

Santiago had to return to New York at his own expense Friday for a hearing to dismiss the charges against him.