COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A Columbus woman was arrested Friday in Utah on federal charges she stole the identity of a dead baby.

Ava Misseldine, 49, used the infant’s identity to obtain a passport, student pilot license, flight attendant job, admission to Ohio State University and pandemic relief loans, said Kenneth Parker, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio.

Misseldine is charged with passport fraud, social security number fraud, aggravated identity theft and fraud in connection with an emergency, Parker’s office announced in a news release. Misseldine could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Parker said Misseldine stole the identity of a baby that died in 1979 and is buried in a Columbus cemetery. She used it to apply for an Ohio ID, social security card and driver’s license in 2003, and she obtained a pilot certificate and U.S. passport in 2007. She was employed under the false identity for JetSelect.

Misseldine used both false identity and her real name to obtain about $1.5 million in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans in 2020, court documents show. The applications cite her former bakeries Sugar Inc. Cupcakes and Tea Salon in Dublin and Koko Tea Salon and Bakery in New Albany and Easton.

Using the loans, she purchased a home near Zion National Park in Utah for $647,500 and another in Michigan for $327,500.

Misseldine will be brought to Ohio for a court appearance. The full complain against her can be read at this link.