West Jordan man faces federal charges in decadeslong identity theft scheme

SALT LAKE CITY — A West Jordan man has been charged in federal court with wire fraud and other financial crimes for allegedly using someone else’s identity for the last two decades to receive more than $1 million in Social Security and private insurance benefits.

Terry Lynn Reynolds, 69, is charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, theft of government property and aggravated identity theft.

Around 1998, Reynolds lived near a person who had become disabled a few years prior. That person received monthly disability income from a private insurance policy and Social Security benefits, according to court documents.

Beginning in November 2004, Reynolds executed a scheme to assume the identity of that person and to receive the person’s income benefits, according to court documents.

Reynolds had access to the person’s name, Social Security number and alleged signature, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Utah.

Reynolds defrauded the Social Security Administration and the insurance company “through false statements, misrepresentations, deception and omissions of material facts, and thereafter to divert the money for his own uses,” the indictment states.

Through this other person’s identity, Reynolds obtained more than $1 million, the indictment alleges. Reynolds is accused of furthering the scheme by corresponding with the Social Security Administration and the private insurance company on multiple occasions.

“Until about March 2025, Reynolds continued to operate under Person 1’s identity to fraudulently obtain Person 1’s benefits,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Utah said.

Reynolds is scheduled to appear in court for the first time on Jan. 13.