East Alton Man Charged With Identity Theft Of Elderly Victims

EAST ALTON – An East Alton resident accused of stealing the identities of five different elderly victims and more faces several felony charges.

James L. Lyons, 48, of East Alton, was charged on Dec. 19, 2025 with five Class 2 felony counts of aggravated identity theft, two Class 3 felony counts of forgery, and one count each of possession of a stolen title/certificate/plate, unlawful possession of methamphetamine, and duplicating/manufacturing/selling a fraudulent ID card, each Class 3 felonies.

Lyons allegedly knowingly possessed the stolen personal identifying information of five different victims, each of whom were 60 years of age or older at the time of the offenses on Aug. 3, 2024. Lyons reportedly possessed each of the victim’s birth dates, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and bank account information.

Lyons is also accused of knowingly possessing less than five grams of methamphetamine, a forged or counterfeit Illinois temporary vehicle registration permit, forged sales receipts for Lowe’s and Home Depot, as well as manufacturing a fraudulent Kentucky driver’s license under a different name.

The East Alton Police Department presented the case against Lyons, who was ordered released from custody pending trial.

All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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