Manager Of Large-Scale $600,000 Counterfeit Credit Card Scheme Sentenced To 90 Months In Prison  Southern District of New York, announced that LUIS GUSTAVO TAVAREZ was sentenced to 90 months in prison for his role in a large-scale counterfeit credit card scheme involving credit card numbers stolen from nearly 200 victims and over $600,000 in losses.

From April 2013 through April 2014, LUIS GUSTAVO TAVAREZ was one of the managers of an extensive counterfeit credit card fraud scheme operating in half a dozen states along the East Coast in 2013 and 2014. As part of the scheme, TAVAREZ purchased stolen credit card information from computer hackers who remotely compromised databases containing credit card numbers, both directly and from "carding" websites where stolen credit card numbers are sold. TAVAREZ then produced counterfeit credit cards that were encoded with the stolen account information. He personally used those counterfeit cards to make unauthorized purchases of store gift cards and retail items, and also provided them to co-conspirators who acted as "shoppers" at his direction. In total, TAVAREZ and his co-conspirators, including Deivi Martinez-Brito, Anthony Reynoso, Plinio Pineda Lopez, Vicente D. Espinal, and Warner Alvarez Almanzar, used counterfeit cards to make hundreds of purchases of store gift cards and merchandise at national retail chains in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The gift cards and retail items were then sold to others or returned to the stores for cash refunds. justice.gov

Court documents detail what led to Overland Park, KS woman's arrest in the theft of $100K worth of items  Court documents show police followed Kelli Bauer, who is charged with selling more than $100,000 worth of stolen merchandise from her home, before she was arrested on April 1. According to court documents, the Overland Park Police Department initiated its investigation after it was sent an image of clothes that Bauer posted on Facebook. One detective reviewed the photos and noticed some items had the original sales tags still on them. Detectives went undercover and reached out to Bauer asking to look at the merchandise, and she let them into her home. According to court documents, Bauer led them upstairs to a bedroom with a clothing rack filled with clothes and stacks of folded clothes on the bed. Many items still had stickers and price tags from the stores. Bauer told police she was a compulsive shopper and had lost weight and that was why she was selling the items. kshb.com

Duo steals $15,000 worth of iPads from Newton County, GA Walmart  They walked in the Covington Walmart like anyone else. She pushed a shopping cart into the store and he walked beside her. When the two left the store, the woman was still pushing the cart. Only this time, there were 33 iPads hidden inside a large, plastic tote, according to Covington police. The alleged shoplifters made off with nearly $15,000 worth of iPads shortly after 3 a.m. Monday, Detective Kara Hipps said Thursday. Investigators are hopeful that video from inside the store will help identify the suspects, who could be responsible for similar crimes in other jurisdictions, Hipps said. Inside a gray plastic bin, the duo allegedly concealed 33 iPads and left the store. In the Covington theft, the duo appeared to have a plan when they got to the electronics section in the store. "She pries open the case," Hipps said. "He's a watch out." After placing the iPads inside a large plastic container, the two left the store in a grey vehicle, possibly a Chevrolet Impala, according to police. Investigators believe the same duo may have pulled off similar shoplifting at a Villa Rica Walmart on Tuesday, Hipps said. ajc.com

Snellville, GA Police investigate $2,000 theft from CVS
Two men shoplifted around $2,000 worth of merchandise without paying on April 2 at about 7:44 p.m. at the CVS located at Hwy 78 / Rockdale Circle, according to The Snellville Police Department. Possibly driving a white Ford Explorer, police say the duo left the store with their vehicle loaded down with lotion and other personal care products. patch.com

Crime Stoppers tips lead to 4 arrests in J C Penney Grab and Run in Omaha, NE Omaha police credit multiple tips to Crime Stoppers for the arrests of four shoplifting suspects. Two 15-year-olds, a 16-year-old and a 17-year old are in custody. On April 7, police said, six people entered the JC Penney store at Westroads Mall, grabbed armfuls of clothing from displays and ran out. Surveillance video from the store showed the group running from the mall. ketv.com

New Orleans shoplifter hoped Police costume would aid in shoplifting scheme  A shoplifting scammer who had encountered resistance while trying to return stolen goods at a local store sought to increase her chances of success by dressing like a police officer, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Detectives uncovered Mase Nguyen's scheme while investigating a rash of shoplifting at Lakeside Shopping Center. Investigators reviewing security camera footage spotted Nguyen, 31, of Marrero, stealing items by taking them into fitting rooms, hiding them on her person and leaving the store without stopping by the register, Fortunato said. She later came back to try and return the items for a refund, but the clerks were suspicious of her. So, she returned to the store dressed in a T-shirt bearing a star and crescent logo similar to the one used by NOPD. Nguyen also wore a gun and holster on her hip. "But that didn't work, either," Fortunato said. Authorities arrested Nguyen, Friday evening at Lakeside and booked her with two counts of impersonating a peace officer. nola.com

Kohl's Loss Prevention in Johnson City, TN nab shoplifter with $731 of merchandise  A man crammed several items in a backpack at a Johnson City department store Tuesday, resulting in a felony shoplifting charge, police said. John D. Humphrey, 30, was arrested after the incident at Kohl's, 190 Marketplace Blvd. Police said Humphrey selected several items and put them in his shopping cart. He then went into the fitting room and concealed the merchandise in a backpack and on himself. A Kohl's loss prevention officer stopped him, finding 21 items worth a total of $731. johnsoncitypress.com

Jewelers in Ireland relieved as Romanian Organized Crime gang suspects arrested  Irish jewelers have praised Police (Gardaí) following a major operation targeting Romanian organized crime gangs involved in violent burglaries of jewelry shops across the country. The Drugs and Organized Crime Bureau carried out a series of searches across Dublin early yesterday and arrested five suspects. The Retail Jewelers of Ireland said some of their members, and owners of shops who are not part of the organization, have been subjected to "terrifying" burglaries in recent years. irishexaminer.com