California power broker Darius Anderson made a splashy, public attempt to buy the Sacramento Kings last year _ and wound up a victim of identity theft.
In a bizarre case that may have been sparked by Anderson’s offer for the Kings, a Sacramento, Calif., man was charged this week with stealing the prominent lobbyist’s identity, hacking into his bank accounts and moving massive amounts of his money around.
At one point, court records show, the man allegedly transferred $150,000 from one Anderson bank account to another, to prove to himself that he had gained access. Ultimately, the defendant, 28-year-old Clinton Beau Babcock, was charged with stealing around $1,300 from Anderson’s accounts. He has yet to enter a plea.
Anderson said Friday it took eight months to sort everything out.
“It was a bloody nightmare,” he said.
The case shows how easy it is to steal someone’s identity. Anderson said he thinks the alleged scheme began with the theft of a credit card offer mailed to his lobbying firm’s office on K Street in downtown Sacramento.
“You need that one piece of information and you can parlay it,” said Ken Lin of Credit Karma, a San Francisco credit-score company.
A highly successful lobbyist, developer and Democratic fundraiser, Anderson has been a major player at the California Capitol for years. But he believes it was his stab at wresting control of the Kings that grabbed a thief’s attention.
In April 2011, Anderson and Southern California billionaire supermarket tycoon Ron Burkle went public with their bid to buy the Kings from the Maloofs, who were threatening to move the team to Anaheim, Calif. Anderson unveiled the offer in New York, where he accompanied Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson to the annual meeting of NBA owners.
The Maloofs quickly and bluntly rejected the offer, but Burkle and Anderson made headlines for days.
Court records show the thefts began about a month later.
The victim is identified in court papers only as “Darius A.,” but Anderson said it was him.
Federal prosecutor Michelle Rodriguez said the victim’s prominence appears to have played a role in the alleged crime.
- Dale Kasler, MCT CAMPUS