Identity Theft Suspect Arrested

Sheriff’s detectives arrested 26-year-old UCSB graduate Imoukhuede Ehimika on 12/21, accusing him of accessing five different Santa Barbara and Goleta residents’ bank accounts through their unsecured wireless Internet connections and then siphoning off more than $158,000 for himself.

Ehimika, who’s from Nigeria, would purportedly pick his alleged victims by trolling through neighborhoods looking for vulnerable connections and then grab critical personal information, eventually tapping into home equity accounts. Ehimika was released from County Jail on 12/28 after posting $150,000 bail and the case has been forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office.