Macharia claims to be a low-level cog in a conspiracy targeting residents of a Lansing nursing home.He was arrested after a Blackman Township Public Safety Officer found credit cards and copies of driver licenses, Social Security cards and insurance cards in his car.

The documents belonged to several residents of the Grandhaven Living Center in Lansing.Intended victims were easy targets because they were not capable of noticing or stopping identity theft. Many had dementia, and three died in the eight months since Macharia was arrested.

Documents were evidently stolen by a female employee of the nursing home, and she quickly disappeared.

Macharia claims his role was to deliver the documents to people who would use them to drain bank accounts and make fraudulent credit-card charges."My client does not have the skill set to do what needed to be done," said defense attorney Al Brandt.

"It's a classic case of the low man who's left holding the bag."Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wilson delivered the sentence after Macharia asked for forgiveness."I realize I made a mistake and what I did was very wrong," said Macharia.

That was his first admission of guilt. Last month he pleaded no contest, neither an admission nor denial of guilt.

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2010/06/man_caught_in_scheme_to_steal.html

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