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Asmar Earp, a 37-year-old ex-con with an extensive criminal record, first changed the pin code on the benefits debit card belonging to Venika Williams less than a week after she was reported missing in December 2017, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said.
A few months later, he used Williams's name, date of birth and Social Security number to receive a replacement debit card to continue accessing and using the benefits, Sellinger said.
This continued for more than two full years, through February 2020, he said.
Newark police turned to the public for help locating Williams, who they said was last seen heading to Jersey City a few days before Christmas 2017. A $5,000 reward was offered.
Earp has a criminal history that stretches back more than a decade and a half in multiple counties in New Jesey, with charges that include selling drugs, resisting arrest, receiving stolen property and prowling, records show.
Earp had initially created social media groups, including "Help Find Venika" on Facebook, after Williams went missing. Those posts ended quickly, however.
A federal judge in Newark on Friday refused to release Earp, who'd been arrested by agents from the U.S. Social Security Administration working in tandem with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office following his indictment on two counts each of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
Seillinger credited members of both agencies with the investigation leading to the charges, which are being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Ecker of his General Crimes Unit in Newark.
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