Identity Theft: Hawaii Couple Charged for Assuming Identities of Dead Texas Babies

A quiet couple from Hawaii has been arrested for aggravated identity theft after assuming the profiles of two dead Texas babies to apply for Social Security cards, passports and driver's licenses. Federal agents also allege that they were Russian spies who worked in the U.S. government.

Per Hawaii News Now, Walter Glenn Primose and Gwynn Darle Morrison, both 67 years old, stole the identities of Bobby Edward Fort and Julie Lyn Montague in the 1980s. Primrose then enlisted with the U.S. Coast Guard in the 1990s, earning a secret-level security clearance.

He retired in 2016 to work as a contractor with the U.S. Department of Defense in counter-terrorism and counter-drug operations. Former military lawyer Kevin O'Grady said that Primrose likely accessed information that could be valuable to the KGB.

Raid on the couple's home reveals damning secrets

Investigators raided the couple's home Friday, July 22, and found some correspondence that the agents believe were Primrose's links to espionage. They also found photos of the pair dressed in KGB uniforms.

Their lawyer Megan Kau however, denied the links to the KGB and said that those photos in uniform were for fun. Kau also said that despite their fake identities, the pair have been law-abiding Hawaiians for decades.

According to CBS News, Primrose's stolen identity was actually that of an infant who died in 1967. Morrison took the identity of a baby who died in 1968. Both were from the same hospital.

They moved away from Texas in the 1980s, telling some family members that they were going into the witness protection program. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Myers said that they also told some colleagues that they will have to change their names for financial and legal reasons.

Court records show that "Fort and Montague" got married in 1988. The criminal complaint indicated that "Fort" was issued five U.S. passports and "Montague" had three, thus they were also charged with false statements in passport applications and conspiracy to commit an offense against the U.S.

While under "witness protection," Morrison opened a post office box under her real name for family members to contact her. However, law enforcement was alerted to the couple's fraudulent activities when a family member sought police help when they could no longer communicate with the couple after Morrison's father died.

Myers has asked the Hawaii court to detain the pair without bail as they are major flight risks. The federal agents believe that Primrose has the skill and ability to communicate in secret thus it was imperative that he remains confined before his trial.

Father of the dead Texas baby shocked

John Montague told KIRO 7 that he could not believe someone stole Julie Lynn's identity. She was only three weeks old when she died.

"The odds are like one-in-a-trillion that they found her and used her name," the father said, adding that his child should have been left to rest in peace.

Tonda Ferguson, Montague's sister said that their mom, who died in 2003, would have been traumatized if she knew that her dead sister's identity was being used for fraudulent activities. Ferguson was 8 years old when she lost her sister and never got to see or hold her in person. They buried her in Burnet, Texas.

Meanwhile, neighbors of the couple, who refer to them as Bob and Lynn, were also in disbelief. Mai Ly Schara, whose house is next door, said that they were nerdy couples who kept to themselves but were friendly to them. Joshua Guieb-Pangan said the couple would wave to cars passing by their street.

Schara was not sure of Primrose's job but she thought it was military-related. On the other hand, she knew Morrison worked at the Waikiki hotel and tutored the kids in their neighborhood.