A Seattle-area man whose identity had been stumping the FBI has been identified with the help of his parents. The 52-year-old man had been arrested two weeks ago by federal authorities on charges of identity theft and fraud. The government had not been able to identify the man, who had been known to use over 30 aliases, because he had burned the tips of his fingers to alter his prints.

The man who had been arrested as John Doe will be tried as Scott Andrew Shain. His parents recognized their son's photo after they were contacted by the FBI, who'd already published his photo on their website. Shain is charged for using the identities of several dead teenage boys, passing bad checks, Social Security fraud, and fleeing warrants in Colorado.

He was arrested two weeks ago in what federal agents have described as a "hovel" on Lower Queen Anne. He had rented a windowless office with no plumbing for $75 a month and called it home for six years. His arrest was the culmination of a five-month investigation, and he is facing both federal and local charges. In 1993, under a different identity entirely, Shain was investigated by the Secret Service for making threats against then President Bill Clinton. When investigated, agents confiscated a homemade flame thrower. He is currently being held in the SeaTac Federal Detention facility.

The many faces of Scott Andrew Shain, courtesy of the FBI