|
|
|
Ringleader in $1.1 million ID theft ring pleads guilty, facing 245 years in
prison
The ringleader of a Philadelphia bank fraud and identity theft ring pleaded
guilty today to a laundry list of charges after five days of a trial. Benjamin
"Shaft" Easley, 36, admitted his role in a scheme that stole -- or attempted to
steal -- more than $1.1 million from a group of local banks, federal prosecutors
said. Easley, of Drexel Hill, obtained the personal information of bank
customers and recruited a dozen "check runners" who were given counterfeit IDs.
The runners were sent banks throughout the region to cash bogus checks, conduct
fraudulent withdrawals or make illegal wire transfers from the accounts of their
victims. The scheme, which began in Nov. 2009, came to an abrupt end in Dec.
2011 when Easley was arrested attempting to conduct a bogus transaction at a
Radnor Township bank. Today, Easley pleaded guilty to seven counts of bank
fraud, 15 counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of conspiracy. He
faces up to 245 years in prison and a fine of up to $11 million when he is
sentenced.
phily.com
 'Lowe's
ladies' nabbed in Alton, IL
Lowe's Loss Prevention and city Police Wednesday expected an alleged, prolific
ring of four St. Louis female shoplifters to return to Alton, then nabbed them
as they left the store. "Four (women) have been hitting Lowe's stores in the
past couple of weeks, they have taken about $3,000 in merchandise from each of
the stores" said Chief Jason "Jake" Simmons of the Alton Police Department.
"They have been hitting all the Lowe's stores in the area (region) -
Bridgeton, St. Charles, O'Fallon (Mo.), Fairview Heights, Maplewood, Kirkwood,
Glen Carbon and Granite City." It is possible the women may have stolen from
other similar hardware stores, as well, he said. "I give credit to Lowe's
security department, I applaud them," he said of the company's investigation
that resulted in the women's arrests Wednesday afternoon. Since the group
operates in a geographic pattern, Simmons said Lowe's security team expected
them to come back to Alton on Wednesday afternoon. Lowe's security staff -
including the Alton store's loss prevention manager Rich Brown, retired East
Alton police chief - met with Alton police to work out details of the impending
bust. Lowe's subsequently brought in a number of its security guards inside the
store to await the women's arrival.
thetelegraph.com
 Shoplifter
hid baby formula in her dress; Rocklin, CA Police say they busted an ORC operation. The thieves targeted containers of baby formula, which can retail
for between $20 and $30. Last Friday, Rocklin police responded to a call from
the loss prevention team at a Bel Air grocery store in the 2300 block of Sunset
Boulevard. As officers arrived, two people got away in a vehicle. A third was
taken into custody at the scene, police said. Elena Zatreanu, 32, was booked
into the Placer County Jail on suspicion of conspiracy, shoplifting, possession
of burglary tools and presenting false identification. Zatreanu was wearing a "a
booster dress" at the time of her arrest, which is a dress with specially
designed pockets or areas for hiding stolen goods, said Rocklin police spokesman
and Capt. Lon Milka. The crew was attempting to steal about $1,000 worth of baby
formula likely with the goal of reselling it online or at local flea markets,
Milka said. According to a Rocklin PD Facebook post, officers "quickly
discovered the theft was related to numerous other organized retail crimes
throughout the Sacramento Valley and (the) Bay Area."
kcra.com
Man arrested for theft of more than $2K in turkeys from Kroger
An Arkansas man has been charged with a pre-Thanksgiving time theft accused of
selling frozen turkeys from Kroger without the store's permission, police said.
James Frazier, 52, of Marked Tree, Ark., has been charged with theft of property
between $1,000 and $10,000. According to an affidavit, Kroger contacted
detectives with the Memphis Police Cargo Theft Task Force and told officers that
the suspect, a general manager at Americold, was allegedly selling their turkeys
from the refrigerated warehouse business in the 2300 block of Spottswood without
the store's permission. The Kroger employee posed as a member of a church and
arranged to buy the turkeys from Frazier at Americold. Once at the business, the
suspect brought out 50 cases of frozen turkeys on a fork lift to load on a
truck, according to police. Detectives moved in and the turkeys valued at
$2,609.17 were seized and officers arrested Frazier. Frazier told police that he
made an arrangement with an associate named "Gus" to sell the 50 cases of
turkeys to a church and that he would receive a portion of the money.
commercialappeal.com
36 Blue-Ray DVD players stolen from BJ's in East Caln Twp. PA
Police are searching for a suspect after someone stole 36 Blue-Ray DVD players
from a township retailer last week, according to the Downingtown Police
Department. Police said someone entered the BJ's Wholesale store around 1:20
p.m. on Nov. 6 in the 1000 block of East Lancaster Avenue and stole various Sony
and Samsung electronics off the shelf. The total value of the stolen items was
$3,309, according to police.
dailylocal.com
3 arrested in elaborate Diesel Fuel thefts in Marion Co, FL
Three people are facing charges after police said they stole diesel from
multiple gas stations across Marion County. Investigations said the trio
siphoned fuel and drove off without paying for it. It was frustrating for
employee Dayana Solis and the owner of the small mom-and-pop gas station S N
Food Mart on Maricamp Road when they found out thieves had stolen more than 300
gallons of diesel, which cost about $1,000. But they weren't alone.
Investigators said Roilan Linares, Alondra De La Caridad and Dan Gonzalez also
stole hundreds of gallons of fuel from a Kangaroo Express and a Kwik King gas
station. Investigators said the thieves would sneak into the gas stations while
they were closed, drive to the ports and siphon all the fuel they could carry in
special containers inside their vehicle.
wftv.com
|
|
 |
|
|
|
