Fargo man accused of using son's social security number to pass over $65,000 in bad checks

Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) - A Fargo man is facing charges, accused of opening a checking account using his 10-year-old son's social security number and passing more than $65-thousand dollars in bad checks. 33-year-old Joseph Lightowler is charged with identity theft and property theft.

He wrote 10 checks, including one for $52-thousand dollars to a man who sold him a Cadillac Escalade. Lightowler has a history of writing bad checks, giving his mother a counterfeit check for $15-thousand dollars to pay off a vehicle loan.

He'll be sentenced on that case in April. He's also facing trial in Bismarck for failing to pay $1-thousand dollars for a weeklong stay at a hotel after claiming he was the new manager at Hooters and that the company would be footing the bill.

He's also accused of passing a bogus check for $14-thousand dollars to pay off a skid-steer a friend was purchasing.

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