RIVERHEAD - Tonia Cheeseman, 64, of Ridge, and her son Michael Cheeseman, 42, of Shirley admitted in court that they used the personal information from files of Tonia Cheeseman’s employer to acquire lines of credit. Stolen identities included Suffolk County residents and residents of Florida where the Cheesemans had lived.

Tonia Cheeseman pled guilty to the entire indictment charging her with two counts of identity theft, unlawful possession of personal identification information in the third degree, two counts of second degree possession of a forged instrument, fourth degree criminal possession of stolen property and one count of first degree scheme to defraud.

District Attorney Thomas Spota said he will recommend a sentence of two and one-third to seven years at Tonia Cheeseman’s sentencing on March 2.

Michael Cheeseman was sentenced to one and one-third to four years in prison on January 5 for his guilty plea to second degree identity theft.  

The Cheesemans were arrested last March after a joint investigation by the Suffolk County PD Identity Theft Unit, Riverhead police, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.