(Reuters) - A mystery woman, who apparently tried to hide her identity by removing her fingerprints, on Friday was identified as a disbarred lawyer from Virginia, said investigators in a case spanning at least four states.
The woman, jailed in Ohio since July 9, was arrested after trying to use a fake birth certificate to obtain a state identification card under the name Julia Wadsworth.
While booking her in jail, authorities discovered that her fingerprints were gone.
"There was no ridge detail whatsoever. Just smooth, like a baby's butt. They're never going to come back," said Allen County Sheriff Samuel Crish in northwestern Ohio.
On her computer, investigators found she had researched information on how to remove fingerprints and how to determine if someone was being investigated by a federal agency, he said.
She was identified after Crish's office contacted police in southwest Florida, where the woman mentioned she had spent time caring for an elderly man.
An article and photos in the Fort Myers News-Press led to an anonymous tip late Thursday identifying her as a former lawyer who faced charges in Virginia, Crish said.
He said the woman's name is Ann Marie Miller, 40, who practiced law in Roanoke until her license was revoked in 2009 by the Virginia Bar, records show.
Her attorney confirmed on Friday that Ann Marie Miller is the woman's true identity.
Miller earlier this week pleaded not guilty to a charge in Ohio of tampering with state records, a third-degree felony punishable by up to three years in prison, said attorney Stephen Chamberlain, who declined to comment further.
Miller also previously faced several charges in Virginia related to a love triangle with a male attorney and a female paralegal, Crish said.
On her disbarment notice in Virginia, Miller's address was listed as in Colorado. Crish said she is also wanted there on multiple charges, including burglary and trespassing.
"In 30 years, I've never seen anyone go to this extreme, ever," he said. "I really thought the worst."
(Editing by Letitia Stein, editing by G Crosse)
