Mom Laura Oglesby, 48, is set for a five-year prison term after she pled guilty to stealing her daughter's identity, Lauren Ashleigh Hays, so she could enroll in college and date younger men.
In those two years of impersonating her daughter, Oglesby also committed Social Security fraud by applying as Hays to secure student loans for $25,000. She also used the fake identity to obtain a driver's license.
According to the Department of Justice, aside from the prison time without parole, Oglesby will also need to pay the university that granted the financial aid. She has also been ordered to pay restitution to her daughter, who became a victim of "aggravated identity theft."
Pretending to Be 22 Years Old
Reports cited that Oglesby and her daughter both lived in Arkansas before the mother left for Missouri in 2016. There, Oglesby became known to the community as a 22-year-old who worked at the city library and dated young men.
According to Mountain View Police Department Chief Jamie Perkins, the mother made everyone believe that she was a young woman settling and adjusting into her adult life. Detective Stetson Schwien said that Oglesby made efforts to change her clothes, appearance, and personality.
A year after she moved to Missouri, Oglesby enrolled at the Southwest Baptist University and took out student loans and grants. In total, the mother received $9,400 for the student loans, $5,920 for the Pell Grants, and $337 from the university's bookstore. While the school cooperated with the police investigations, it was unclear whether the mom attended her classes or simply enrolled for the student loans.
On the other hand, witnesses Avery and Wendy Parker told the court that they accepted Oglesby at their women's shelter since she claimed that she was in an abusive relationship and wanted to start fresh in Missouri. The Parkers treated Oglesby like a daughter and described her as a giddy girl who had a bubbly personality of a teenager.
Red Flags Popped Up
But then the red flags started popping up soon after that, especially after the Parkers mentioned to Oglesby that they have relatives near her Arkansas town. Meanwhile, investigators from Arkansas were closing in on Oglesby's track following reports that someone has been using Hays' identity in Missouri.
In 2018, Oglesby was arrested and charged for her crimes. She initially denied her crimes to the police but broke down and confessed when the investigators showed proof of her fraudulent activities.
While she was shocked and angry, Wendy said that all she could see was a 22-year-old girl and not a woman in her 40s. Wendy said that the only message she wanted to impart to Oglesby was that of all the people she has fooled, it's her daughter who is hurting the most.
Meanwhile, Hays has not yet spoken up about her mother's scam or how their relationship fell apart. According to the police, Hays personal credit record has also been significantly damaged because of her mother's crime.
