Identity theft

Posted

The Major Case Bureau reports the details of an arrest for grand larceny and possession of a forged instrument that occurred on Friday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m. in East Garden City.

According to Crimes Against Property Squad detectives, defendant Michael Richards, 25, of Joan Court in Elmont, entered Bloomingdale’s, 630 Old Country Road, and tried to purchase 18 $1,000 gift cards with a Visa debit card. After an investigation, the Visa debit card had been re-encoded with account information stolen from another financial institution belonging to a female victim. A search incidental to a lawful arrest revealed that the defendant was in possession of five other re-encoded credit and gift cards. Further investigation led to the recovery of more than 130 credit and gift cards that were also re-encoded with fraudulent bank account information.

Richards was charged with one count of third-degree grand larceny, 18 counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument and one count first-degree identity theft.