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Fallen soldier's mom reacts to alleged ID theft

CSDL, Thu, 06/03/2010 - 16:04

Police: Rachel Bosveld's identity stolen
By Lindsay Veremis 
Updated: Thursday, 03 Jun 2010, 8:19 AM CDT, Published : Wednesday, 02 Jun 2010, 5:32 PM CDT
APPLETON - Prosecutors are preparing to file more charges, as anger rises against three people accused of using the names of fallen Wisconsin service members to write bad checks.
The mother of Rachel Bosveld, a soldier from Waupun, says she is appalled by the scam.  Bosveld was the first area soldier to die in Iraq.
"It just opens old wounds makes them new again and it feels like it's a violation of some really good soldiers," Mary Bosveld said. "Their names were perfect and it feels like a violation of their very credible name and the job that they were doing."
Bosveld had hoped to spend memorial weekend celebrating her daughter's life and service, instead she spent it wondering whether Rachel's identity was stolen.
She says police didn't tell her until this week they believe Tina Mitchem of Milwaukee stole Rachel's identity.
Mitchem appeared along with Bobby McLeod and James Larsen of Green Bay on identity theft charges in Oneida County Court Tuesday.
Police say McLeod used Mathew Schram of Brookfield's name to buy hundreds of dollars in merchandise and gift cards at a Walgreens in Woodruff, Wisconsin. Schram died in Iraq in 2003.
Larsen is accused of doing the same thing, using the identity of Andrew Halverson of Grant Wisconsin, who died in Iraq in 2004.
Bosveld says her daughter was an incredibly honest person. If she was alive, Bosveld says Rachel would never stand for this.
"The justice I would like to see is to have them go to Iraq and to do the same thing that our soldiers did, live the life that they lived," Bosveld said. "Live that life of being a soldier and maybe they would have a little bit more understanding and compassion for other people."
Bosveld spoke with one of the other service member's mothers on Wednesday. They want to make sure this doesn't happen again and are planning to follow the case through the court system.
The three defendants remain behind bars in Oneida County on probation holds; they'll be back in court June 21st.

 

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