PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Bulgarian man accused of stealing the identity of a slain Ohio boy has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of identity theft and making false statements to the government.
Doitchin (DOY-chen) Krastev (KRAHZ-tehv) appeared briefly Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland, where a trial was set for Dec. 14.
Federal prosecutors say Krastev stole the identity of Jason Robert Evers, a 3-year-old Ohio boy killed during a kidnapping in Cincinnati in 1982 — when Krastev was still a child in Bulgaria.
Krastev came to the United States for high school before dropping out of college and allegedly assuming the identity of Evers. He spent time in Colorado before moving to Oregon and becoming an Oregon Liquor Control Commission inspector.
His past was uncovered during a passport application investigation.
