PLACER COUNTY (CBS13) - A Placer County Sheriff's Deputy busted a multi-victim identity theft case spanning multiple states in the west.

On Mar. 30th, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on westbound I-80 near highway 49.

The deputy spoke with the passengers and eventually searched the vehicle. More than a gram of methamphetamine during the search, a black laptop case filled with personal documents from several victims, a notebook with instructions on "How to hack an ATM", and photo IDs of suspects and victims.

As the search continued, the deputy also discovered,

• Manufactured blank checks
• $825 check made out to one of the suspects
• Duffel bag with personal documents belonging to victims
• Equipment used to make and print checks

Fifty-three-year-old John Fitzgerald was arrested for possession of information with the intent to defraud. He also had a no-bail warrant out of Colorado.