Thieves wanted for stealing $10,000 in designer watches
Police need the public’s help in tracking down two crooks who swiped thousands of dollars in designer watches from a store at Elmhurst’s Queens Center Mall in New York. Law enforcement sources said the grand larceny occurred at about 9 a.m. on June 10, when the bandits walked into the Invicta watch store inside of the shopping center at 90-15 Queens Boulevard.
According to authorities, the crooks forcibly opened a display case and removed 25 watches valued at a combined $10,000. They then exited the mall and were last seen heading northbound on 92nd Street toward 57th Avenue. On June 16, the 110th Precinct posted a wanted flier bearing security camera images of the two suspects wanted for the watch theft. They are described as males of an unknown description, wearing dark-colored clothing and baseball caps.  [Source: QNS.com]
Two men found with 49 fraudulent credit cards
Gainesville Police in Florida arrested two men accused of having 49 fraudulent credit cards Thursday night. At about 5:30 p.m., a GPD officer pulled over a vehicle for following too closely near mile marker 374 on I-75, according to the report. Gilberto Buides, 32, was the driver and Yoelvys Perez, 31, was the passenger. As the officer approached the car window, he noticed a strong smell of cannabis and diesel fuel, according to the report.
When the officer asked for their licenses, he noticed they were extremely nervous and had bloodshot eyes and shaky hands. The officer searched the car because of the smell and found a 525 gallon fuel tank in the backseat that had about 400 gallons of fuel still inside, according to the report. It isn’t written in the report if any cannabis was found.
Forty-nine fraudulent credit cards were also found, according to the report. Three fraudulent cards were found in Buides’ wallet, two were found in Perez’s wallet, one card was found on the center console and the other 43 cards were hidden under the center console between the driver and passenger. Buides and Perez were charged with trafficking in counterfeit credit cards and unlawful conveyance of fuel in the car. Buides remained in the Alachua County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 bail. Perez was released Friday night on bond, and his original bail was $50,000.  [Source: The Independent Florida Alligator]
Suspect charged following months-long theft investigation
A St. Johnsville, Connecticut, man is facing multiple charges following a months-long investigation into thefts at a local store, according to the New Hartford Police Department. A report was filed in March 2018 by a local home improvement store regarding the ongoing theft of merchandise from several different store branches in Oneida County, police said.
Officials found during the investigation that the suspect, Michael Peterson, 47, was also involved in similar incidents throughout Central New York and the Capital Region. Peterson was arrested June 12 and charged with third-degree grand larceny, first-degree falsifying business records and first-degree scheme to defraud, officials said. Peterson was arraigned in the Town of New Hartford Court, officials said, and was sent to the Oneida County Jail without bail. He’s scheduled to appear in court again at a later date. New York State Police also assisted with the investigation.  [Source: Observer-Dispatch]
Three charged after credit cards, scanning device found in traffic stop
Three Floridians are facing charges in Montgomery, Alabama, following a traffic stop. Daniel Baez, Christopher Jean-Mary, and Shalanda Xavier, all of Florida, are each charged with one count of encoded data fraud. Baez and Jean-Mary are also facing multiple debit/credit card fraud charges. According to Capt. Regina Duckett with the Montgomery Police Department, the three were taken into custody after a traffic stop on Mobile Highway around 1 p.m.
During the stop, officers found the suspects to be in possession of multiple fraudulent credit cards. Court documents indicate the three were also found to be in possession of a scanning device which would be used to access, read, obtain, memorize or store the information on a credit/debit cards magnetic strip. All three were taken to the Montgomery County Detention Facility. Xavier was placed under a $15,000 bond, Baez was placed under a $31,000 bond, and Jean-Mary was placed under a $330,000 bond.  [Source: WSFA12 News]
Suspected shoplifter caught after foot chase with police
A 32-year-old Madison, Wisconsin, woman is accused of stealing hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise from an east Madison retailer, according to a news release. The Madison Police Department said officers responded to a report of a theft in progress at the Kohl’s department store on East Springs Drive. Officers were given specific information about the incident taking place and set up at the store. Madison police said a woman came to the store with bags of merchandise, which police now say was stolen, that she wanted to exchange. She then entered a fitting room with more than $1,000 worth of merchandise and left the store with the items, which were mostly adult and children’s clothing.
When the suspect, later identified as 32-year-old Amanda E. Meinen, left the store, a loss prevention officer attempted to stop her, police said. She saw police approaching and started to run through the lot. As an officer chased her using an audible police siren, Meinen ran down a grassy knoll and ended up a considerable distance away. She attempted to get into the back door of a nearby store but the door was locked. While she was attempting to catch her breath from running, officers ordered her to the ground. Meinen told police that she was not running from them and that she hadn’t done anything wrong. Officers handcuffed her and took her to the Dane County Jail on suspicion of felony retail theft and resisting an officer.  [Source: Channel 3000]
Two men brandish firearm while shoplifting
Two North Carolina men are accused of brandishing a firearm and threatening employees while shoplifting at a Walmart. Rico Lashawn Moses, 42, Chapel Hill, and Terry Lamont Shoffner, 58, Chapel Hill, entered a Chapel Hill Walmart and filled a shopping cart with meat, toilet paper, beer and pork skins. When the suspects attempted to leave the store without paying, a loss prevention associate tried to stop the men, but one suspect brandished a firearm and threatened to shoot the employee. The men loaded the stolen goods into their vehicle as another employee approached them. Again, one of the suspects threatened to kill the associates if they were followed.
The suspects finished loading the vehicle and left the scene. Moses and Shoffner are charged with felony robbery with a dangerous weapon, communicating threats and misdemeanor larceny. In addition, Moses is also charged with a second count of communicating threats, assault on a female, felony possession of a firearm by felon and felony going armed to the terror of the people. Moses was arrested by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on May 24 and assigned a $100,000 secured bond. Shoffner was arrested on June 4 and assigned a $5,700 secured bond. Both are scheduled to appear in Chatham County District Court in Pittsboro on July 16.  [Source: The Courier-Tribune]