Fraud Ring Leader fugitive arrested in Tampa after one year on the run - Put key loggers on terminals in International Plaza - $650,000 in gift cards  Michel Lermos-Hernandez was first charged in May 2013 with orchestrating a fraud ring that affected more than 1,000 identity theft victims and stole more than $650,000 from financial institutions by putting key loggers on credit card terminals in locations at International Plaza, including the Haagen-Dazs ice cream store. The loggers stored credit card information, which the ring then used to create counterfeit cards, authorities said. Lermos used blank credit cards, embossing machines, and magnetic stripe re-encoders and also sold stolen account numbers to others, including co-defendant, Viviana Reyes. Officials said Lermos gave counterfeit cards to co-conspirators, including his sister, Norma Cabezas-Hernandez, his girlfriend, Danay Crespo-Rodriguez, as well as including Lazaro Rodriguez and Abel Osorio-Cuok, who used the cards to buy electronics and gift cards at Tampa area stores. Reyes paid the conspirators cash for the merchandise and then sold it at a discount, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The co-conspirators have all been convicted and given sentences ranging from 12 years in prison for Reyes to five years probation for Osorio-Cuok. Crespo-Rodroguez received seven years in prison, while Rodriguez was sentenced to three years and one month behind bars. tbo.com

4 busted hitting Walmart store in Silver Spring Township, PA. - Stolen merchandise from another retailer recovered  Police reported the foursome arrived Saturday at the Wal-Mart, located in the 6500 block of Carlisle Pike. Two were immediately recognized by store security as the same people who committed "suspicious acts" at the same Wal-Mart days earlier, police said. The foursome split into pairs in the store, with one pair loading merchandise into a shopping cart and taking it out of the store without paying for it, according to police. The second pair then exited the Wal-Mart with additional stolen items. The merchandise was later recovered, as well as drug paraphernalia and merchandise stolen from another retail store, police said. pennlive.com

ORC Female Duo buying gift cards with stolen credit cards at Stop & Shop in Plainville, Mass.  Two women face charges for allegedly obtaining hundreds of dollars of gift cards from Stop & Shop with stolen credit cards and using them at Target before they were caught. Sarah DeLouis 23, and Beatrice Calixte, 21, both of Boston, are charged with multiple counts in Wrentham District Court of credit card fraud, receiving stolen property and larceny. They were arrested Sunday when police learned that the suspects had been in Target, purchasing merchandise and gift cards with different credit cards. Police seized several thousands of dollars in gift cards and alleged stolen property from inside their rental car. The gift cards and receipts from several area Stop & Shops and other stores were also recovered, police said. thesunchronicle.com


Police believe ORC male duo targeting CVS for retail thefts in New Garden, PA  More than $3,000 worth of cosmetic products were stolen Wednesday from a pharmacy in the 700 block of Newark Road, police said. Investigators said store employees told them it was the sixth similar theft targeting CVS stores in the area recently. Police released surveillance images taken from the store and asked that anyone who may recognize the suspects or who has information about the theft to contact police at 610-268-2907, extension 222. dailylocal.com

Norfolk, VA Federal Prosecutor want maximum sentence for 2 women in Military id theft and $180,000 credit card fraud  The last time prosecutors took Sheila Clark Lewis before a federal court, she earned a conviction for stealing the identities of military personnel for personal gain, according to court documents. This time, prosecutors say, she changed her approach: The 56-year-old Suffolk resident stole the identities of medical patients. Lewis - who was sentenced in 2009 to 4-1/2 years in prison - is set to be sentenced today on one count each of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Prosecutors plan to argue for a sentence of five years and five months, the top end of federal guidelines. According to court documents, Lewis and Thompson conspired from October 2012 through September 2013 to steal the identities of at least 200 medical patients. They used the information to access existing credit lines and open new ones at various department stores - usually Sears, Kmart and Kohls. Thompson obtained the victims' names, Social Security numbers and birth dates from her place of employment, which prosecutors described as a "telephone answering and messaging service utilized by local doctors and medical practices." Most of the purchases - which totaled about $30,000 - were for clothing, computer games and gift cards, documents said. The scheme echoes another perpetrated by Lewis and her husband between 2000 and 2006 in North Carolina. She pleaded guilty in 2007 to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Her husband was convicted of similar charges. In that case, Lewis stole identities from about 80 members of the military, documents said. The total loss was more than $180,000. hamptonroads.com

Brazen thefts by 'Rainbow Girls' at high-end retailers in San Francisco  Thefts at San Francisco's swankiest stores have reached an epidemic level, as bad guys and bad gals grab high-end fashion items with near-impunity - with the "Rainbow Girls" leading the way. "They come in a groups of four or five and they go right for the Ferragamos," said Ken Peterson, a salesman at Arthur Beren Shoes on Stockton Street, which has been hit repeatedly. Police tell us the "Rainbow Girls" - who get their name from their bright attire and dyed hair - are actually about three independent groups of women in their teens and 20s. The cops say they swoop into stores in the Union Square area, grab high-end goods and exit like running backs, plowing over anyone in their path. "They seem to get high off of it," Peterson said. "They know they will be gone by the time the police arrive." Police reports show that thieves fitting the Rainbow Girls' description hit Neiman Marcus on Stockton Street on Nov. 7 and made off with two jackets worth $1,000 apiece, 21 Burberry scarves worth a total of $9,970 and other goods for a total take of about $29,000. The next day, they hit Armani on Post Street for about $10,000 worth of stuff. sfgate.com

ORC male hitting Walmart for six months finally busted in Alpena, Michigan

NY man sentenced to 24 months in prison for using stolen credit cards to buy $172,661 of gift cards at Target and Walmart stores in Providence, R.I.

Five suspects in Buffalo, NY charged with forgery and possession of stolen property

Burglars break into Target, steal iPads in Hummels Wharf, PA

Two Kohl's Shoplifters arrested after stealing more than $1,000 worth of merchandise in Pembroke, MA