Leader of Counterfeit Credit Card Ring of Five - Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison for $126K fraud in MD.  Michael Crew, age 54, of Owings Mills, Maryland, sentenced today to nine years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, after Crew pleaded guilty to bank fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft, arising from his use of stolen credit and debit cards to manufacture counterfeit credit cards used to buy merchandise and services. Judge Quarles also entered an order that Crew pay restitution of $126,318.99, the amount of the actual loss to victims. Generally the gift cards used to manufacture the counterfeit credit cards were shoplifted from stores. For example, on June 13, 2012, Crew was arrested when he attempted to shoplift gift cards at the Shoppers Food Warehouse in Howard County. Crew received a citation and was released. Crew generally did not use the counterfeit credit cards himself, but either sold them or had others use them. Sometimes he told them what to purchase, such as gift cards, electronics and luxury linens which he resold. Crew and his co-conspirators accessed or attempted to access credit card accounts with credit limits of between $400,000 and $1 million, using the financial account numbers of real people. To date, five other defendants have pleaded guilty to their participation in the scheme and await sentencing.  justice.gov

Identity Theft ring - two suspects arrested - 'netted thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise' in New Brunswick, N.J.  Two Sayreville residents were arrested and charged Wednesday for their alleged roles in a credit card and identity theft ring, say county officials. Clare Ojeda 37, and Shaun Howard, 38, have both been charged with fraudulent use of a credit card, identity theft, theft by deception and conspiracy to commit identity theft by Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey. A joint investigation by Cranford township police and prosecutor's office detectives determined that Ojeda and Howard allegedly obtained and used credit cards in the names of at least seven victims between Dec. 19, 2004 and March 9, 2015, county officials say. Investigators say the theft ring potentially netted thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise. According to police, Ojeda and Howard used the identities of the victims to obtain credit cards, which then were used to make various purchases, including clothing, shoes and sunglasses. The total amount of the thefts has yet to be determined, officials say. Police say the investigation into the thefts is ongoing. nj.com

ORC couple - female busted - male escaped after assaulting Home Depot LP in Pleasanton  A woman has been arrested for stealing power tools and a man who was with her is being sought for attacking a security worker at the Home Depot in Pleasanton, police said Wednesday. Smith and the alleged getaway driver, Steven Proctor, 21, were identified as suspects after loss prevention officials with Home Depot realized the two matched a description of suspects in a similar crime at a store in Vacaville, police said. After that theft, a loss prevention officer detained Smith in the store parking lot but was then struck by a Lexus driven by Proctor, police said. The security officer was knocked to the ground but is expected to make a full recovery. Proctor, who is a transient, is being sought on a $210,000 warrant for theft. He is known to frequent East Bay hotels, police said. sfgate.com

ORC female & employee of Amy's Country Candles busted selling $5,600 of merchandise online from second job in Kenner, La.  Investigators suspect Kimberlee Chapman Romero, 35, of Metairie, stole more than $5,600 worth of merchandise from the company's Esplanade Mall location in Kenner, said Lt. Brian McGregor, spokesman for the Kenner Police Department. Romero was selling the products online and from her cubicle at a Metairie insurance company where she worked a second job, authorities said. She even had a pricing sheet where she was selling them at a significantly lower price," McGregor said. Police booked Romero on Tuesday (March 10) with organized retail theft greater than $500, possession of stolen property valued over $1,500 and theft valued over $1,500. nola.com

ORC Allentown male duo hit Moravian bookstore for 9 calculators for $1,664 to support heroin addiction  Pair of Allentown men are accused of stealing $1,664 worth of scientific calculators from a Moravian College bookstore, according to court records. They stole a total of nine calculators from the store at 1125 Monocacy St. in Bethlehem. Police say the pair sold the calculators at an Allentown pawn shop. lehighvalleylive.com

3 Men stole $15,000 of Text Books from Follett Bookstore at Saint Cloud University  St. Cloud police are looking for three men they say stole more than $15,000 worth of mostly textbooks from Husky Bookstore during approximately nine separate thefts last month. Authorities say surveillance video shows three men concealing various textbooks, including chemistry, business law, and other science books - in book bags and leaving the store without paying. Police said store employees discovered several previous thefts by the same suspects by looking back at past security footage and inventory logs. The theft was first reported by the privately owned bookstore in Centennial Hall at St. Cloud State University on Feb. 14. Husky Bookstore is operated by Follett Higher Education Group, a campus retailer based in Illinois that operates more than 940 campus stores. sctimes.com

Johnson City, MO Police arrest 2 teens stealing $610 in merchandise from JC Penney  Police said two teens each picked up felony shoplifting charges after they were caught trying to steal hundreds of dollars worth of merchandise from a local department store. Police arrived to see store staff had detained Cheek and Zeolia after the alleged shoplifting attempt. Staff told officers, police said, that the two women placed $610 worth of merchandise inside a handbag and hid more merchandise on their persons while they were in a store fitting room. johnsoncitypress.com

Aldi Distribution Center employee in Faribault, MN charged in theft of 94 cases of shrimp valued at $15k  A Faribault man is accused of stealing 94 cases of shrimp worth more than $15,000 while working as a custodian at the Aldi distribution warehouse last year. southernminn.com

3 Deliverymen indicted for stealing $8,700 from Navel Exchange
The men allegedly loaded the new, unsold merchandise onto an NEX delivery truck and, along with another person, took the merchandise to their homes while conducting pre-scheduled deliveries, documents state. guampdn.com

Man loads 27 cases of beer in shopping cart at Walmart in North Lauderdale busted