The Umansky Law Firm

An Orange County mother was arrested in front of her daughter and jailed for prostitution. Turns out, she was the wrong person. Police allege they had to arrest her due to a warrant from a judge who used several different aliases. One of those aliases was the name of the wrongfully arrested mother. This is a classic case of mistaken identity in which the real prostitute was jailed in 1993 under an alias. The prostitute and the mother were both renting out rooms in the same house at the time.

The wrongly arrested mother alleges she did not know or hang out with the alleged prostitute, but believes she may have gotten personal information from the victim’s wallet somehow. Jump forward 16 years to a judge issuing an arrest warrant for the prostitute for a probation violation. The name on the warrant was the victim’s due to the false information given back in the ‘90s.

When the mother was pulled over and her driver’s license and social security number ran by the police officer, they matched the warrant. Though he had his doubts about arresting the right woman, he had no choice.

The victim spent five hours in an Orange County jail professing her innocence, but was only let out after a fingerprint analysis vindicated her. She was given a letter by the Orange County sheriff’s office verifying she may be the victim of mistaken identity if she is ever pulled over again. However, there is no guarantee this letter will work.

While this woman’s case of mistaken identity turned out okay, it can take much longer for the wrongly accused to be let out of jail. Many people can, and do, spend years behind bars due to this. In all of these cases, it is important for the accused to hire an experienced defense attorney, especially if the accused is having trouble convincing authorities they are not the person who is wanted.

If you have been wrongfully accused of prostitution or any other crime in the Orange County or Orlando, Florida area, or anywhere else in the state of Florida, please contact the experienced defense attorneys at the Umansky Law Firm. We offer a free and confidential initial consultation.