Abilene ? An Abilene bar owner is accused of using the name of a dead woman to obtain liquor licenses, credit cards and property.

Antoinette Renee Saenz, 39, was arrested last week after a search of her home and the bar — Rick and Toni’s Clair De Lune Club.

Dickenson County Atty. Eric Rucker said he planned to formally charge Saenz with identity theft today.

Additional state and federal charges are being considered, he said.

Saenz is believed to have gotten the name Dianna Lynn LaPoint off a grave marker in another state. Police think she has been using the assumed name about seven years.

Acting on a tip, Abilene police began their investigation of the possible identity theft in October, said Pat Soukup, assistant police chief.

Because they suspected Saenz used LaPoint’s identity in other states, police contacted the U.S. Secret Service and the Office of the Inspector General to assist.

Rucker said the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also had been involved in the investigation.

Besides using the name to get the liquor license, Soukup said Saenz also used LaPoint’s name to purchase her home and two rental properties.

After the search of Saenz’s home and the club, police also arrested Richard Gordon Hatelid, 43, co-owner of the bar, and Joseph Kevin Parrish, 39, of Salina on suspicion of marijuana possession, Soukup said.

Greg Vance, co-owner of the bar building, leased the building to Hatelid earlier this fall. The bar was open for about two months, Vance said, but it was closed after Saenz’s arrest.

Soon after the bar opened, Abilene Police started asking Vance questions about Saenz’s identity.

Soukup declined to reveal what started the investigation but said, “We received information.”

Vance said the bar hurt business at an adjoining motel. He saw several fights in the parking lot, and he suspects people stayed away from the motel because of the rough bar crowd.

Identity theft has emerged as a growing nationwide problem, costing consumers millions of dollars as thieves increasingly gain high-tech access to bank accounts and credit reports.

In November, federal investigators broke up the largest identity-theft ring in U.S. history. More than 30,000 people were victimized, some of them discovering that their bank accounts were drained, addresses changed, lines of credit opened and new credit cards opened without their approval.