BOSTON (AP) – Police have begun an identity theft investigation after a 39-year-old man allegedly assumed the identities of several Massachusetts men, including a state representative who received bills for thousands of dollars.

David Faulcon of Boston faces charges of identity fraud and larceny over $250 for allegedly obtaining credit cards by using the name and information of men named Paul Casey, said Boston Police Department spokesman Mike McCarthy.

The number of victims was not immediately known.

Police arrested Faulcon at his apartment on Friday where officers found thousands of dollars worth of goods that he purchased with fraudulent credit cards. He was held on $50,000 bail, and was scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Quincy District Court, McCarthy said.

One victim was State Rep. Paul Casey, D-Winchester, the chair of the House taxation committee. He told The Associated Press that Casey obtained credit cards in his name and spent $18,000 at retail stores.

in a two-day shopping spree.

“It destroys your credit. Every credit card now has a red flag,” Casey said, adding that he has had to cancel his own credit cards.

He said he received bills from a dozen stores, including Home Depot, Pier 1 Imports, Banana Republic and Wal-Mart.

“He hit Wal-Mart in a big way,” Casey said.

Casey said Faulcon had “good taste,” but he and Faulcon rarely shopped at the same stores where the fraudulent credit cards were used.

Because the victims of the recent case were from various parts of the state, McCarthy said other counties were likely to press charges against Faulcon.

Police said there has been an increase in identity theft cases in Boston.

AP-ES-11-23-03 1653EST