by KYW's Tony Hanson

A center city Philadelphia couple who allegedly lived a jet-set lifestyle financed with other people's money are now facing federal charges and are expected to plead guilty.

Former Philadelphia college students Jocelyn Kirsch, 22, and Edward Anderton, 25 -- nicknamed "Bonnie and Clyde" by law enforcement investigators -- are accused of repeatedly burglarizing neighbors in order to steal their identities (see related story). On Monday, local charges against the pair were withdrawn because federal authorities are now filing charges against the couple.

They are now being charged in federal court with aggravated identity theft, bank fraud, and other offenses in what is called an "open plea" deal. According to sources, the pair will admit what they did and leave the sentencing up to the judge. 

Defense attorney Ronald Greenblatt, who represents Kirsch and says she has cooperated fully with authorities, says his client has reached a deal and will plead guilty:

"The deal is for two counts of identity theft, which are the more serious charges. Those carry a two-year mandatory minimum."  

Anderton is also expected to plead guilty. The maximum is 69 years, but federal prosecutors were asking for prison terms of about five years. The federal plea hearing is expected in a couple of weeks.

On Monday, US attorney Pat Meehan called Kirsch and Anderton "the poster children for identity theft."  He says they used the identities of at least 16 victims to obtain cash and merchandise totally more than $119,000, and tried to steal twice that amount:

"Kirsch and Anderton stole personal identifying information from friends, coworkers, bar patrons, gym members, and anyone else they could con."

Officials say the couple lived in a $3,000-a-month apartment in the 1800 block of Chestnut Street in center city and traveled to London, Paris, and Hawaii on vacations in a one-year period. Among the evidence seized in a raid on the couple's apartment was office equipment believed used to create phony IDs using their own photos.