An Aiken woman was celebrating Christmas with family more than an hour away on Dec. 24, 2007 - Christmas dinner, taking pictures, the Christmas shopping completed.

Here in Orangeburg, police say a former department store employee was celebrating the holiday using the woman’s identity in what ultimately proved to be a multivictim shopping spree that began -- and ended -- in Orangeburg.

“We’ve got 17 victims, nine different states, two people arrested and it all started Christmas Eve,” Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Capt. Mike Adams said. “She apparently was able to obtain the personal information of people in nine different states to obtain these goods.”

A former Kmart employee, Kimberly Genesis Gooden, 21, of 841 Solomon Terrace, Orangeburg, was released on a $15,000 personal recognizance bond Monday after being charged with breach of trust over $5,000 and financial identity fraud.

A spokesperson for Kmart’s corporate office declined to comment other than to say the company would cooperate with law enforcement in any manner.

The tally of the merchandise obtained through what police say were illegal credit cards issued to Gooden came to $16,930. Investigators say the Orangeburg woman used the personal information of victims ranging from Michigan to New York to the woman in Aiken celebrating Christmas with family at the time of the initial shopping spree.

“Somebody was having a good time,” the Aiken woman said via a phone interview Tuesday. She asked her name not be used for publication. “It really was scary that someone has your Social Security number.”

With that information, more than $3,990 in merchandise was purchased from the Orangeburg Kmart using the woman’s information.

Also arrested in connection with the eight-month-long investigation is 21-year-old Lanita Aquila Peterson of Darlington, who is charged with one count of financial identity fraud.

Investigators say that on at least one occasion, Gooden and Peterson teamed up to use a North Carolina woman’s personal information to obtain a credit card for Peterson.

A warrant against Peterson indicates that on March 25, surveillance video captured a cashier processing a credit card application for a patron who eventually rang up $1,199 on the account.

Police say it was that video that began the unraveling process that shed light on the phantom credit cards.

Investigators began getting calls in January from individuals who stated they were receiving a Sears credit card bill. Some said they had never been to nor heard of Orangeburg, Adams said.

The Aiken woman said she’s very conscious of identity theft crimes. She shreds her bills, bank statements and guards her information carefully, she said.

She said she’s been to Orangeburg, but when the credit card bill came in, she knew something wasn’t quite right.

“It was really funny,” she said. “I just got the bill and I said, ‘I don’t have a Sears card.’”

If convicted, Gooden could be facing a fine “in the discretion of the court or imprisoned not more than ten years if the amount is five thousand dollars or more,” according to the S.C. Code of Laws.

Peterson is facing a up to 10 years if convicted of financial identity fraud.

“I’m just glad somebody will be held responsible,” the Aiken woman said. “I hope they’ve learned a lesson. You just can’t be too careful.”

Lt. Becky Whitman and Lt. Dennis Romanstine are leading the ongoing investigation.

Adams said more arrests are possible.

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516.

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