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Police officer charged with identity theft

MILWAUKEE, March 18 (UPI) -- A Milwaukee police officer who allegedly bought a 7-year-old boy's Social Security number and used it to buy a Mercedes was arrested this week.

Lymon Taylor, 33, was freed on $5,000 bond Wednesday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. He was charged with felony identity theft, which carries a potential sentence of six years in prison.

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The Milwaukee Police Department suspended Taylor, spokeswoman Anne Schwartz said.

Investigators said another man, Lee Ellis, told them he and Taylor discovered a California company that said it could repair credit ratings and charged a $2,500 fee. Both were given Social Security numbers and told to use them with their own names and a different address.

Taylor was allegedly using a number assigned to a 7-year-old boy in Racine, Wis. The boy's parents insisted on prosecution, police said.

The police officer allegedly used the new number to obtain a loan for the purchase of a 2007 Mercedes-Benz S550 with a Blue Book value of around $48,000.

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