Other Criminal Charges & Offenses Wife stole laptop and continues to use credit card

[Josh Dailey]

Jurisdiction

Connecticut

My wife and I are going through a separation. No paperwork has been formally filed and she moved out of our apartment, which both names are on roughly two weeks ago. She still has the key.

She returned yesterday and stole my laptop from the apartment. I'm 100% certain it was her because the complex requires 2 different keys to enter, with one to enter the building and one to enter the apartment. Her clothing was also missing, so there's no question it was her.

This laptop was purchased by myself several years ago prior to us being together. It has a password and she has not once used it for anything during the time we were together.

I go to file a report and the police claim I'm not able to because it is shared property.

She also has access to my credit card information, but not the card itself. Despite not being together she continued to make purchases on the card online, phone bill, Uber, Uber eats etc. This is not a joint card and I've made it clear she can't continue using it.

To dispute these charges the credit card company needs a report, which again the police aren't willing to assist with.

To make things even more fun, she's leaving for Florida tomorrow. It should also be noted, while the marriage itself was legitimate, she's not a citizen of the United States and has been in the country three years illegally.

Do I have any recourse criminally or is this solely a civil matter, which I'll never collect on because she's moving to a different state with no social and no history of paying taxes? Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[mightymoose]

I think the police told you the correct information.
The credit card company likely won't honor your dispute, but I suppose it is possible.
Rather than dispute the charge just close the account and she can't use it anymore. Keep track of her activities and the expenses and you can raise those issue later during the divorce.
This really is more of a civil issue because of your marriage.

 

[army judge]

She returned yesterday and stole my laptop from the apartment. I'm 100% certain it was her because the complex requires 2 different keys to enter, with one to enter the building and one to enter the apartment. Her clothing was also missing, so there's no question it was her.

If there is VIDEO of her entering and leaving, try to get it.

If you don't have video in your apartment, install cameras ASAP.

Thieves tend to return to snatch more stuff.

If she has the key, she may have given it to an accomplice to do you dirty.

You should also change the locks, ASAP, or simply remove all of your stuff, too!

Forget the separation nonsense, IF you no longer wish to be responsible for her ripping you off.

If you hold joint accounts, contact the creditors and have her removed from all those accounts.

Tomorrow, a wise person would engage a lawyer and start FORMAL divorce proceedings, unless you want to be ripped off over and over!

 

[army judge]

To make things even more fun, she's leaving for Florida tomorrow. It should also be noted, while the marriage itself was legitimate, she's not a citizen of the United States and has been in the country three years illegally.

Yet, knowing the back story, you chose to wed this person.

You need to not only contact all creditors, but have every account you hold changed to a new number, and make sure ONLY you have account access.

If you have to, close the accounts and open new ones.

If you don't get busy fixing this, she and her pals will get busy ripping you off, again!

 

[Josh Dailey]

Thank you all for the advice. Believe me when I say I'm fully aware of the whole decision to marry her in the first place wasn't the best idea.

The only article remotely similar was this one, but had different circumstances, so I was attempting to get a second opinion:

Using and signing spouse's credit card is fraud

 

[army judge]

Thank you all for the advice. Believe me when I say I'm fully aware of the whole decision to marry her in the first place wasn't the best idea.

The only article remotely similar was this one, but had different circumstances, so I was attempting to get a second opinion:

Using and signing spouse's credit card is fraud

Until you divorce this person, you have no idea just how much financial hardship she can cause you.

Divorcing her will be easier once she has disappeared.

After you've made diligent efforts to locate your spouse and can't find him/her, you can ask the court for an Order of Notice by Publication. This means that you must run a notice of your intent to divorce your spouse in a newspaper near the area of the spouse's last known whereabouts.

In Connecticut, couples can state either of the following reasons to the court:

irretrievable breakdown of the marriage, or
spouses lived separate and apart for a continuous period of at least 18 months before either spouse files for divorce.

How you can prove that your marriage is "irretrievably broken"?

This means that the relationship is broken beyond repair and there is no chance the couple will get back together.

If at least one spouse doesn't want the marriage to continue, it's usually enough for the court to assume that there's no chance for reconciliation.

In your case, the moment she disappears, makes it easier for you to get that divorce.

If she comes up murdered, guess who becomes the first suspect?

https://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/Notebooks/Pathfinders/divorce/divorce.pdf

 

[zddoodah]

Do I have any recourse criminally or is this solely a civil matter

The latter.

You need to consult with a divorce attorney ASAP.

just close the account and she can't use it anymore. Keep track of her activities and the expenses and you can raise those issue later during the divorce.

Concur.

 

[adjusterjack]

Cancel the card, get a lawyer, file for divorce ASAP.

Forget the laptop, you can address that and the CC debt in the divorce.

 

[army judge]

If you have the RIGHT software on your laptop, you can locate its whereabouts in a matter of seconds when the thief turns the device on to use it.

My son lost his iPhone 2 years ago, and within 60 minutes the cops nabbed the thief and he got his device returned.

 

[Josh Dailey]

Thank you all for the advice. Luckily, I got the laptop back. She attempted to charge another $800, but am all set with canceling that.

It still boggles my mind that you can have text messages expressly stating not to use a credit card she doesn't have physical possession, doesn't have her name on and is not listed on a joint account for and legally there's no penalty short of civil for doing so.

I can understand completely a joint account with her name on it, but it's not terribly uncommon nowadays for couples to have separate credit cards and bank accounts.

 

[adjusterjack]

It still boggles my mind that you can have text messages expressly stating not to use a credit card she doesn't have physical possession, doesn't have her name on and is not listed on a joint account for and legally there's no penalty short of civil for doing so.

A little naïve, are you?

 

[Josh Dailey]

Identity theft among family members is quite common and a crime. So is forging someone else's signature for a credit card or loan, regardless of whether they're a family member. I don't see how this is so different, but I guess that's the fun part of divorces.

 

[army judge]

I guess that's the fun part of divorce

Now you're on the road to recovery.

You needed a divorce from this creature six months ago.

A separation will only continue her ability to rip you off.

Divorce the beast and be done with her crimes against you, because she'll be out of your life.

You can also thank your lucky stars you didn't have a child with the monster, lest you'd be FINANCIALLY stuck with her for at least a decade.

Good thing you didn't sponsor her immigration to the USA, either, for if you had; even a divorce couldn't rid you of the parasite.