Prolific identity thief sentenced.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

A Eugene woman who stole the identities of at least 43 people to pay her bills over an 18-month period was sentenced Friday to 9 1/2 years in prison.

Amy Dawn Coble, 30, faced 64 felony charges of identity theft and fraud. She is serving prison time for similar crimes and child neglect in Marion County.

"This is not a deal where we were willing to give her any breaks," Deputy Lane County District Attorney Chris Parosa said. "We are hoping some kind of message is being sent."

Coble cooperated with other thieves in stealing documents from cars, homes and mailboxes, Parosa said. Using a computer, she created checks with the stolen names and bank account numbers. She then wrote checks to herself, to friends or to fictitious people for whom she created fake identities.

Parosa said Coble used some of the stolen money to pay for pre-natal care. For one of her victims, it was the second time his identity had been stolen, Parosa said.

"A lot of these people are in the process of cleaning up their lives, their bank accounts and their credit. There is a lot of frustration," he told Lane County Circuit Judge Karsten Rasmussen.

Coble pleaded guilty to 19 felonies in a plea deal that allows her to enter a program that could shorten her prison term if she qualifies for it when she has three years remaining to serve.

Defense lawyer Larry Roloff said drugs are the root of Coble's crimes. "Once she got involved in this culture, it got a hold of her," Roloff said.

None of Coble's victims spoke during her hearing.