Woman was Taken Aback when she Discovers What Her Missing Ex-Husband Was Doing For 23 Years

Stolen Identity

Richard was living in a rented home after leaving his family and that’s where he discovered a death certificate in the name of Terry Symansky. In 1991, Terry, a fisherman passed away in a work-related accident. Richard got in touch with Terry’s father who got emotional and shared his deceased son’s info with Richard. “My dad was grieving and pouring his heart out,” recalled Cynthia Bujnak, Terry’s sister, she further added, “My dad was the victim. Even after 23 years, the truth will always come out.”

Starting Anew

“Using that death certificate, he applies for a birth certificate. He submits that birth certificate to get a driver’s license. Once he has that driver’s license, he starts establishing himself as Terry Symansky,” the detective said in an interview.

Free At Last

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Terry was a “perfect candidate for identity theft” for Richard. Ohio people never got any clue that they were helping Richard in his frauds when they issued him Terry’s birth certificate. This further helped him in getting a driving license from Alabama, later he got a Florida license. This lasted for two decades…

Depth Of The Deceit

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office in Florida explained, “since 1994, the defendant has exclusively used the victim Terry Symansky’s identity for everything. The defendant obtained a private pilot’s license, got married, had a child, opened and used numerous credit cards, applied for and was granted multiple mortgages for homes with his wife.”

Police Alerted

This made up the life of Richard was finally reported when Terry Symansky’s real-life nephew was researching his family’s history on ancestry.com. His nephew shared this information with his family members who were uncertain about it. It took them more than three years before they reached out to the police.

A New Family

Richard remarried and earned good money, he even bought a house and had a son from his second marriage. The detective stated,  “The son came down. He was shocked. It was still his father. It’s his blood, but that Symansky name is not his. The emotions they were feeling [were] between anger and sadness and the wonder of why.”