Florida man admits stealing $1.5M worth of cigarettes
from Leitchfield warehouse
U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr. today announced the guilty plea, from a Miami resident to federal conspiracy and theft charges stemming from his participation in a warehouse burglary in Leitchfield in March 2011. In pleading guilty to the two count federal indictment, Ivan Romero, a/k/a El Negro, 42, admitted he and others stole more than $1.5 million in cigarettes from the Coremark Cigarette Warehouse in Leitchfield, and that he and others received the stolen cigarettes with the intent to convert the property to their own use. wbko.com

Glassboro, NJ: Nine Rowan University students charged with theft
of $35,000 in 'Boro Bucks'
Investigators say Kwadwo Brefo-Boateng, 21, used his employment at 7-Eleven to enrich himself and other students. University officials first warned police of suspicious activity at a 7-Eleven location on Rowan Boulevard late last month. The unusual returns involved the university's "Boro Bucks" debit system that enables students to use a Rowan card to shop at participating local businesses. Investigators traced the alleged scheme to Kwadwo Brefo-Boateng, a Rowan student and employee of the 7-Eleven in question. Police claim the 21-year-old Lindenwold man was illegally crediting the accounts of friends through fraudulent merchandise returns. phillyvoice.com

Edmond, OK: Two arrested in $23,000 Gift Card Cloning scheme
Two suspects were arrested on Jan. 21 outside the Sam's Club after Loss Prevention officer noticed they were purchasing a large number of $100 gift cards. The two tried five different cards to make the purchase, each of those cards being denied. The sixth card they pulled out of a wallet cleared and the transaction went through, police said. Officers searched the men in the parking lot and found more than $23,000 worth of gift cards on them and in their vehicle. Those cards had been purchased with at least 19 counterfeit/cloned credit cards, Edmond police said. newsok.com

Fairview Park, OH: Giant Eagle LP busts 2 in $5,000 Gift Card Scheme
Fraudulent purchases of gift cards were reported at Giant Eagle. The manager said the suspects had been arrested in Brook Park for the same crime and were involved in the fraudulent purchase of more than $5,000 in gift cards at the Fairview Park store the previous day. Surveillance video of the fraudulent transactions was obtained and two men will be charged. cleveland.com

Wheelersburg, OH: Food bank volunteer steals 8 Truckloads of food from Kroger
A Scioto County food bank volunteer has been indicted on a theft charge related to the discovery of eight truckloads of Kroger merchandise at his home. Ricky D. McCoy, 57, was arrested Wednesday without incident. A loss prevention officer at Kroger contacted the sheriff's office with information that a man picking up food for local food banks had been taking items from the store that he was not approved to take. Detectives received information that a suspect was going into the store and damaging items so he could take them to other people. Authorities also received information that a number of other people had been going to the suspect's home and picking up items taken from the store. herald-dispatch.com

Buffalo, NY: Woman pleads guilty to role in massive Credit Card Fraud; 79 victims
Yaily Santurio Milian, 32, a Cuban national now living in Buffalo, pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to conspiracy to commit bank fraud for her role in a massive credit card fraud that involved the use of information fraudulently obtained from the bank credit and debit cards of at least 79 persons. Milian and her associates used the card information to purchase merchandise at numerous local retail stores, supermarkets and pharmacies. Five other Cuban nationals have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing. buffalonews.com

West Springfield, MA: $1,300 of loot seized from trio of 'professional' shoplifters included 110 pairs of ladies underwear
Stolen merchandise recovered from what police describe as a trio of professional shoplifters, arrested Thursday after they fled Kohl's on Riverdale Street, included 110 pairs of women's underwear valued at over $1,300. They are professionals," Police Capt. Michael J. Banas of the three suspects, all from Queens, N.Y. "These are guys who knew what they were doing." The underwear and a number of other recovered items had been stolen from the Macy's store at the Holyoke Mall which the suspects visited shortly before they made their ill-fated visit to Kohl's. masslive.com

Des Peres, MO: Mom uses 8-year-old to help steal $800
in children's clothing from Macy's
Broughton said 25-year-old Brianna Cherise Boykins of St. Louis was using her son to shuttle shopping bags full of stolen children's merchandise from a Macy's fitting room to his mother's car. The boy walked alone to the garage and placed the bags in his mother's car trunk. Authorities said the boy stole nearly $800 worth of jeans, sweatpants, and t-shirts. The mother was flagged by loss prevention officers when they noticed she unsuccessfully tried to return stolen items. fox2now.com

Westport CT: 2 Bronx men face identity theft charges at Verizon
Westport officers chased down two suspects involved in an attempt to open cell phone accounts using fraudulent documentation. wtnh.com