8/22/2021- 10:38 p.m.
Portland – Robert Loren Finanders, 40, stole financial documents from 100 people, agrees to pay full restitution. A Gresham man pleaded guilty to stealing financial identification documents from more than 100 people around the region.
Mr. Finanders pleaded guilty Thursday morning, Aug. 19, to unauthorized access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The Portland Police Bureau began investigating in late September after finding a fraudulent Oregon driver’s license in the name of an adult victim during an arrest. The license had Finanders’ photo.
According to court documents, between April 2019-2020, Finanders used fraudulent ID documents to steal money from people and businesses.Â
During a search of their car police found a passport, W2 forms, and a retail credit card matching the name of the victim whose stolen driver’s license was recovered by Portland Police. A search of Finanders’ Bend hotel room found more documents and a victim profile notebook.
He spent tens of thousands of dollars with stolen credit cards. Many of the IDs he had were taken from wallets and purses left in cars.He was arrested by Portland Police on April 1, 2020. Finanders will be sentenced on Dec. 6. As part of his plea agreement, he agreed to pay restitution in full to his victims.
In the following months, Finanders was connected to additional identify theft crimes in Portland, Gresham, and Lake Oswego. A search warrant of his Gresham home found profiles on more than 80 individuals, dozens of stolen IDs and personal documents, passports, an embosser, a card reader, stolen mail, three handguns, a dismantled AR-15, body armor and evidence of drug trafficking.
