An American couple have been accused of living under the stolen identities of two dead Texas infants for several decades, according to federal prosecutors.
The couple, U.S. defence contractor Walter Glenn Primrose and his wife Gwynn Darle Morrison, are accused of using the false identities to obtain falsified passports, social security cards and various other identifications.
Primrose and Morrison, who were living under the names Bobby Edward Fort and Julie Lyn Montague, were arrested and charged with identity theft and conspiring against the government, according to federal court records unsealed on Friday in Honolulu.
They are currently being held without bail, as prosecutors believe there is a high risk of fleeing if released.
Both Primrose and Morrison are now in their mid-60s. The Texas infants whose identities were stolen both died in the 1960s.
The complaint against the couple does not specify how they chose the identities they allegedly claimed.
Using their falsified identification, the documents say Primrose obtained employment as a defence contractor with the U.S. Coast Guard, complete with secret security clearance.
In official court documents, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Muehleck revealed that police seized faded Polaroid photos from the couple’s home, where Primrose and Morrison are posing in uniforms of the KGB, the former Russian spy agency.
The Associated Press reported that a “close associate” claimed Morrison lived in Romania while it was a Soviet Bloc country, allied with what is now Russia.
Morrison’s legal representation has denied any connection to Russia, claiming Morrison never resided in Romania and that the KGB uniform was worn as a joke.
Even if the couple used new identities, Morrison’s attorney told The Associated Press that she has lived as a law-abiding citizen for the last three decades.
“She wants everyone to know she’s not a spy,” Morrison’s attorney said. “This has all been blown way out of proportion. It’s government overreaching.”
A lawyer representing Primrose declined to comment publicly.
Officials believe Primrose and Morrison may have also had other false identities.
When news of the identity theft broke, the family of deceased baby Julie Lyn Montague was shocked.
John Montague, 91, who lost his daughter Julie in 1968 at three weeks of age, told The Associated Press he “still can’t believe it happened.”
“The odds are like one-in-a-trillion that they found her and used her name,” he said. “People stoop to do anything nowadays. Let kids rest in peace.”
— with files from The Associated Press.
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