Identity theft can do more than screw up your credit rating. If you work in the IT field and require security clearances, it can ruin your career. And oblivious local law enforcement authorities can make the problem worse.

According to a story released by PRWeb, a certain Thaddeus Jones, “a seasoned network engineering and information technology project manager,” was fired from his job at the Pentagon and his top security clearance stripped because someone stole his identity and was charged with three felonies under that identity. He has been unable to find steady employment in his field since — the same incident continually pops up in his background checks.

Apparently, the person who stole his identity was arrested and charged with these felonies in Richmond in 2004 but the charges were later dismissed. The imposter had no picture identification and law enforcement authorities never attempted to trace his fingerprints to confirm that he was who he said he was. Concludes the author:

A man’s life has not only been ruined by a criminal with obviously nothing to lose, but it has also been ruined by a law enforcement and judicial system that failed to initiate due diligence by not confirming one’s identity before charging them with a felony crime. There has to be some legislation in place to force law enforcement agencies to confirm identity of suspects prior to officially charging them with a crime. This will prevent this from happening to anyone else. If not, then there need to be.