Stephanie Hunter Allegedly Stole Tilman Fertitta's Identity on Dark Web

After allegedly stealing the identity of Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, Stephanie Hunter was arrested and charged with fraudulent use of identifying information and using a false statement to obtain credit.

Jay R. Jordan of the Houston Chronicle reported Hunter admitted to buying Fertitta's information, including his social security number, on the dark web. She then applied for a bank credit card and a line of credit with a furniture store.

Security service LifeLock noticed the discrepancies and reported the attempt to Fertitta, who contacted the police.

According to Jacob Rascon of Click2Houston, court documents indicate she opened the accounts in September. Hunter admitted the scheme when she was brought in by police on an unrelated charge shortly after she opened the accounts. According to the applications obtained, Hunter used Fertitta's information but created a false email address and used her home address to get the lines of credit. 

"It was, I mean, spur of the moment," Hunter told Rascon. "I do apologize for it. It wasn't something that I do on a regular basis or anything like that."

Hunter called her actions a "dumb mistake" and said she has never stolen the identity of anyone else.