Shoplifting suspect who died in crash after fleeing police identified
A shoplifting suspect who was fleeing from police died in a crash on Gap Road Thursday morning, according to Knoxville (KPD), in Tennessee. Two KPD officers were on their way to a crash on I-640 between Gap Road and Western Avenue when officers learned a shoplifting suspect, identified as 26-year-old Benjamin Richey from Knoxville, had fled from a Pilot store on Western Avenue. According to the police department, a description of Richey’s Honda Civic and license plate number were relayed to officers and when they got near the I-640 crash scene, they saw him going east on I-640 so they tried to pull him over.
The suspect reportedly fled so officers did not pursue them and continued to the crash scene. The officers said they saw the suspect exit onto Gap Road and head south. When Knoxville Police arrived on scene of the first crash, the 911 Center got a call reporting another serious crash on Gap Road near Leflore Avenue. When officers arrived there, they found two vehicles that had hit head-on. Police said one vehicle was the suspect involved in the shoplifting at Pilot. The suspect, who was also the driver, was pronounced dead on the scene. The female passenger in the suspect’s vehicle was taken to UT Medical Center for treatment for non-life threatening injuries. Police said they later learned the Honda Civic they were in was reported stolen Wednesday.
Nathaniel Howard, who was driving the second vehicle, reportedly ran from the crash scene but was found later. He was wanted on Federal gun charges and police said he was trying avoid being arrested. Howard was driving a 2018 Dodge Charger. Officers said Howard and a female passenger were also taken to UT Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. Once Howard is released, KPD said he will be turned over to Federal authorities. A preliminary investigation shows the Civic was traveling South on Gap Road when the driver crossed the yellow line and struck the Dodge, heading northbound, head-on. [Source: WBIR10 News]
Fraudster sentenced to 32 months for credit card scheme
A Florida man was sentenced Thursday to 32 months in prison for conspiracy to commit credit card fraud and aggravated identify theft, U.S. Attorney Halsey B. Frank said in a news release. U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torreson also ordered Jose Castillo Febles of Doral, Florida, to undergo three years of supervised release. Febles, 31, also must pay more than $25,000 in restitution.
Febles used stolen credit card and debit card numbers to purchase merchandise between November 2015 and June 2016, court records show. Febles traveled to Maine in May 2016 and purchased $500 of merchandise from a Portland Walgreens using a credit card stolen from an Auburn victim, Frank said. Febles pleaded guilty to the charges on Aug. 25, 2017. [Source: The Press-Herald]
Restaurant employee jailed for theft
A Paris, Texas, woman is accused of stealing over $10,000 from a Denny’s. Police say Ryan Elizabeth Bowman was arrested Thursday on a warrant for felony theft. Investigators say the 35-year-old stole over $13,000 from the Denny’s on the loop in Paris when she worked there. The manager of that location declined to comment and police won’t say how Bowman got the money. [Source: KXII12 News]
Former ICE attorney sentenced to 4 years for stealing immigrants’ identities
A former attorney for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was sentenced to four years in prison for stealing the identities of immigrants facing deportation. Raphael A. Sanchez, 44, is the former chief counsel for ICE’s Office of Principal Legal Advisor in Seattle, according to the Department of Justice. Prosecutors say he used ICE databases and computers to commit his crimes.
Sanchez pleaded guilty in February to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to a statement from DOJ. Sanchez was also ordered to pay over $190,000 in restitution — the amount prosecutors say he stole using fraudulent credit card accounts he opened. “Raphael Sanchez was entrusted with overseeing the honest enforcement of our country’s immigration laws,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John Cronan in a statement. “Instead, Sanchez abused that trust, and capitalized on his position at ICE to exploit his victims and line his own pockets.”
DOJ said Sanchez admitted to intentionally defrauding aliens in various stages of immigration removal proceedings. Sanchez used their identities to open lines of credit and personal loans. He also manipulated credit bureau files, transferred funds to himself and made purchases in using credit cards obtained in the names of his victims. Sanchez admitted that he obtained the information using ICE’s computer database, and used his work computer to forge Social Security cards and Washington state driver’s licenses, according to DOJ.
The Associated Press reported that Sanchez told court officials prior to his sentencing that he struggled with money troubles, depression, fatigue and a failed relationship before launching into his scheme. “It became a perfect storm that did not allow me to see the hurtfulness and wrongfulness of my actions,” he said, according to the AP. “I pretended I needed no one and thought material things would bring me happiness, even if temporarily. I created an intricate, beautiful, yet soul-less house of cards that suddenly came crashing down.” He apologized for his crimes in court Thursday and told the judge he’s relieved to be in custody: “The stress is gone,” he said. [Source: USA Today]
Newly revealed Exactis data leak bigger than Equifax’s
What happens when you leave a database filled with personal information open to the Internet? People find it: That’s what happened to marketing data firm Exactis with its database of information on roughly 340 million people. Security researcher Vinnie Troia of Night Lion Security discovered the database through a Shodan search. Exactis is a marketing data company that provides companies with the sort of information needed to target ads to people browsing the Web. Troia told Wired, “It seems like this is a database with pretty much every US citizen in it,” adding, “I don’t know where the data is coming from, but it’s one of the most comprehensive collections I’ve ever seen.”
While the data did not include credit card or social security numbers, it did include everything from political preferences to browsing and purchase data for a wide variety of items. Taken together, the pieces of information would allow an advertiser or database user to form a very detailed picture of the targeted individual. “The data reported to have been leaked is incredibly comprehensive and can be used by hackers to develop more targeted phishing scams,” said John “Lex” Robinson, cybersecurity strategist at Cofense. “Phishing is a serious threat because it works, with personalized phish often making their way past stacks of expensive technology layers and email gateways to land in an unsuspecting user’s inbox.” In terms of size, the Exactis leak dwarfs the Equifax breach, which exposed nearly 146 million records. Exactis has now taken the database off the public Internet, but has made no public statement on the affair. At the time of this article’s publication, the company’s website was down, with a request returning a 508 error. [Source: Dark Reading]
Massive ORC theft reported at mall
Tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise that was stolen from various businesses at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia, has been returned, police say. The Arlington County Police Department’s Property Crimes Units returned a portion of more than $80,000 worth of merchandise stolen from the mall stemming from an investigation that began in 2015 and has resulted in a suspect pleading guilty to multiple counts of grand larceny and grand larceny with intent to sell, according to a tweet by ACPD Friday. “Organized retail crime has a major financial impact on businesses and consumers,” police added in a follow-up tweet. “ACPD is committed to investigating these crimes and holding those responsible accountable for their actions.” [Source: Arlington Patch]