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Peabody, MA: Ringleader of
credit card fraud scheme held on $100K bail; woman has record of similar crimes
dating to '90s
Just months after being released
from federal prison and still on probation for her role in a massive credit card
fraud ring, a former Peabody woman was back in business, prosecutors say,
operating an even more sophisticated scheme. Now, Blandine Joseph, 40, of
Brooklyn, New York, is back in custody, facing charges that include leading an
organized retail crime enterprise and money laundering. On Friday, a Salem
Superior Court judge set bail at $100,000 for Joseph, who was arrested on a
warrant following a secret indictment handed up in March that also charges her
with credit card fraud and other counts. The scheme, police and prosecutors say,
targeted stores and banks all over the Northeast, including some at the
Northshore Mall. Joseph and others used real credit and debit card numbers,
obtained through a variety of methods, to print real-looking cards they could
then swipe through a store's credit card machine to make purchases. But they
were also allegedly using their smartphones to make some purchases, using
services such as Google Wallet or Apple Pay, with the stolen numbers,
prosecutors say. The ring would then re-sell the clothing, gift cards and other
items purchased with the fraudulent cards. Police displayed nearly 200 credit
cards, many of them with the name "Maria Lopez" on them, others blank.
salemnews.com
Kansas City: Kansas Woman
Admits Stealing between $25k to $100k in Merchandise
A suburban Kansas City woman with a history of shoplifting admitted in court
Tuesday that she stole tens of thousands of dollars of clothing and merchandise
she was peddling out of her nearly $1 million home. Kelli Bauer, 46 and of
Overland Park, Kansas, pleaded guilty in Johnson County to a felony theft count
that alleged she stole between $25,000 and $100,000. Bauer also pleaded guilty
to two misdemeanor theft counts. Sentencing for Bauer, who has been under house
arrest as a condition of bond, is scheduled for July 20. Bauer was charged last
year after police found stolen merchandise in her home during a search prompted
by her Facebook posting for the private sale of more than 1,000 pieces of
"high-end" women's clothing. Bauer showed undercover officers clothes - many
with tags still on them - hanging on a rack and folded on a bed in an upstairs
bedroom, according to court records. Bauer told the officers that she was
selling the items because she was a "compulsive shopper" and had lost weight,
the court documents said. The officers bought several items, including what
Bauer said was a fake Louis Vuitton bag for $50.
abcnews.go.com
Rocky Mount, NC: Kmart
Employee busted for theft of over $22,000 of jewelry and assorted items
A Rocky Mount Kmart employee has been charged in connection with more than
$22,000 in losses of store merchandise over a roughly 10-month period. Sergeant
McNeal Cooper, 20, was arrested and charged with one count of felony larceny by
employee. Cooper has been accused of stealing over $21,000 of jewelry and
assorted items including clothing, drinks and a cell phone and accessories.
Rocky Mount police report the total amount of losses at $22,090.83. Police were
contacted Sunday by loss prevention officers at Kmart about an employee they
suspected of a series of multiple thefts of items from the store since September
2015.
rockymounttelegram.com
Mayflower, AR: Lumber One Home Improvement employee
busted in $40,000 forgery and theft case
 Mayflower
Detectives are calling it one of the biggest forgery cases they've ever handled.
Tens of thousands of dollars swindled from local business Lumber One Home
Improvement, allegedly at the hands of one of its employees. Investigator Gene
Chase with Mayflower Police says he's never handled a forgery and theft case of
this magnitude, and said it was overwhelming with Lumber One first handed over
the stacks of fraudulent receipts. Looking through, he could tell the numbers
weren't adding up. The invoices and work orders were proof that at least $40,000
in cash and flooring materials had been stolen from one of Mayflower's biggest
businesses, through labor and billing discrepancies. Detective Chase says it was
pretty obvious someone was pocketing the excess.
arkansasmatters.com
Clinton, CT: (UPDATE) Police
Seek Accomplices in Polo Ralph Lauren Outlet Store Theft
Clinton Police are investigating a case of organized retail theft that occurred
between January and March 2016 at the Polo Ralph Lauren Outlet at Clinton
Crossing Premium Outlets. According to police an employee was working in
conjunction with four to five others posing as customers. The group stole
$11,000 worth of merchandise. The employee was employed by the store as a
cashier and would void large transactions and then place the merchandise from
the voided transactions in customer's bags and allow them to leave. The employee
has admitted to the scam but has declined to name her accomplices.
zip06.com
 Boardman,
OH: Cricket Wireless employee is considered a person of interest in connection
with a theft of $2,700 worth of phones from the store's kiosk at the Southern
Park Mall
That's the same employee who, after
viewing security video, told police that he recognized two of three men who
broke into display cases last week and helped themselves to fourteen phones.
Boardman Police say they'll compare notes with Niles Detectives who are
investigating a similar theft on May 16, when 32 phones were taken from the
Cricket Wireless store at the Eastwood Mall.
wfmj.com
Port Angeles, WA: Woman
charged with 2nd Degree Organized Retail Theft and forgery in $1,100 Credit Card
case
A 22-year-old Port Angeles woman was arrested
Sunday for investigation of theft and other crimes for allegedly running up
charges on a credit card that did not belong to her. The alleged victim told
Sequim police that she likely dropped her wallet in the J.C. Penney parking lot
April 29. The woman learned that her Walmart Mastercard had been used
fraudulently 13 times at six Sequim locations on or about April 29. The
fraudulent charges added up to $1,157.35, police said.
peninsuladailynews.com |
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