Shaletta Porterfield, Miss Wisconsin USA, drop out of Miss USA pageant after identity theft charges

Philip Caulfield New York Daily News 05/15/2011 18:46

Shaletta Porterfield, who was set to represent Wisconsin in next month's Miss USA pageant, was forced to drop out of the contest after she was charged with identity theft.

A top contender for next month's Miss USA title has dropped out of the pageant after being charged with identity theft.

Shaletta Porterfield, who was set to appear as Miss Wisconsin USA, resigned from the beauty contest on Friday after being charged with three counts of stealing someone's identity for financial gain.

The Madison beauty told investigators she had forged signatures of business owners on advertising contracts while working for a marketing company last year, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

But business owners got wind of the scheme when the marketing company asked them to proof some ads they hadn't agreed to buy.

Robert Nagel, Porterfield's lawyer, said the beauty queen hatched the bogus plot because she was under a lot of pressure from the company to hit her commission goals.

"It's unfortunate, but she has a lot going for her, and she's ready to move on," Nagel told the paper.

Nagel said Porterfield will probably resolve the charges with an agreement that would allow her to pay fines or fulfill other requirements in order to avoid prosecution.

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