Owner of Federal Way business charged with 23 counts of identity theft

TACOMA -- A 58-year-old man who owns John’s Meat and Seafood  in Federal Way has been charged with 23 counts of identity theft for allegedly stealing money from food-assistance EBT cards, the News Tribune of Tacoma reported Friday.

The newspaper said John A. Comoza has been ordered to appear in Pierce County Superior Court on Tuesday for arraignment, but prosecutors wrote in court documents that he has left the state.

Prosecutors say Comoza stole nearly $9,500 from the EBT cards – which are issued to people who qualify for food stamps – between August and October 2012.

According to the newspaper, police began investigating Comoza after a woman discovered a $300 debit from her EBT card to John's Meat and a Tacoma police detective discovered “additional victims statewide.”