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ID thief citing mental health woes in mercy plea |
New court documents argue that a Montana woman who stole the identity of a missing South Carolina woman to attend an Ivy League college was trying to shed a dysfunctional family and start a new life.Esther Elizabeth Reed is to be sentenced Wednesday in federal court in South Carolina.The 30-year-old Reed has pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft charges. She faces up to 47 years in prison and $1 million in fines.Reed used the identity of a missing Traveler's Rest woman to get into Columbia University. Investigators say they don't think Reed was involved the woman's disappearance in 1999.Reed's lawyer argues her client suffers from a number of mental ailments due to an emotionally abusive family member and didn't mean to do harm.
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