'East Coast Fraud Ring' member & accomplice busted hitting Zumiez store in Providence Place mall, RI - outstanding warrants in 5 states  Police arrested Tyshawn Luke, 22, of Holyoke, Mass., and his boyfriend Jason Harper, 23, of Chicago, on April 14. The men had asked a clerk at the Zumiez specialty apparel store to buy multiple gift cards, each in the amount of $500. The clerk became suspicious of Luke and Harper and their gift card request because of a warning from her manager; the two men had allegedly used fraudulent credit cards to steal $4,000 in clothes and gift cards at the Zumiez store in Warwick. The clerk stalled the men and alerted mall security, who in turn called police. An investigation by Providence Police Detective George Duarte and a Homeland Security agent revealed Luke is believed to be part of an East Coast fraud ring who had been working store gift cards. He had outstanding warrants from law enforcement in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, Duarte said in his report. wpri.com

Indictment Charges Trio In Counterfeit Credit Card Operation in Philadelphia
Rahim Henderson, 38, Tian Larode, 34, and Waliyda Henderson, 33, all of Philadelphia, PA, were charged by indictment, unsealed today, with running a counterfeit credit card manufacturing operation, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. All three defendants were charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, and access device fraud. Rahim Henderson was also charged with multiple counts of aggravated identity theft. According to the indictment, Rahim Henderson manufactured counterfeit credit cards and he and his co-conspirators used them at commercial establishments in the Philadelphia region. justice.gov

Tampa Man Pleads Guilty To Credit Card Fraud And Identity Theft Charges - gas station skimming gang  According to the plea agreement, Sardinas Lopez produced and trafficked in counterfeit credit cards. These fraudulent credit cards were encoded with the numbers and information of victims whose credit cards had been "skimmed" by the defendant and others, after the cards had been used at local gas stations. The victims were often unaware that their information had been stolen. Sardinas Lopez sold these counterfeit credit cards and also used them to purchase merchandise for himself. justice.gov

$26,000 in Cell Phones stolen during Armed Robbery from AT&T in Toccoa, CA
The Toccoa Police Department is investigating two separate incidents - the theft of $26,000 worth of cell phones and an armed robbery at a local convenience store. The cell phone store heist resembled something that might be seen in a television crime drama. Police chief Tim Jarrell said that on Thursday, April 16, police officers responded to a 12:32 a.m. alarm call at the AT&T store off Big A Road. He said that it took officers about four minutes to respond to the scene, but that wasn't quick enough. By the time officers arrived, the suspects had fled and had taken with them 30 iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus cell phones worth $26,000. "They were in the store less than three minutes," said Toccoa police investigator Jimmy Mize. thetoccoarecord.com

2 Arrested in $1,500 Wal-Mart Shoplifting Spree in Twin Falls, ID
A Twin Falls pair stole more than $1,500 in merchandise at Wal-Mart by hiding the items under jackets in motorized shopping carts, police say. Travis Morrison, 25, and Annie Hanway, 26, were both arraigned on felony charges Monday in Twin Falls County Magistrate Court. About 3 p.m. Sunday, police went to the Twin Falls Wal-Mart for a call about a theft in progress. Security staff told police a man and woman were in the store on motorized shopping carts, removing security tags and hiding merchandise under jackets. Security recognized the two from other thefts in the store, a police report said. Police decided to wait outside the store until the two left with their stolen items. About 3:20 p.m., the two rolled out of the store, still riding the shopping carts, the report said. Officers stopped the pair and reported finding nearly 100 items covered up by jackets on top of the carts. Items included DVDs, clothing, cooking spices and makeup, the report said. Morrison told police the two had been stealing from Wal-Mart since early March and pawned many of the items for a total of about $1,000, the report said. Morrison and Hanway were each charged with felony burglary and grand theft. Preliminary hearings are set for May 1, and each is held in lieu of $5,000 bond. 9news.com

More bras reported stolen from Victoria's Secret in Wilkes-Barre, PA
More bras were stolen from the Victoria's Secret store in the Wyoming Valley Mall on Tuesday, according to police. A store employee reported the theft shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday, according to Wilkes-Barre Township police. The theft took place between noon and 2 p.m., when someone took 25 bras from a drawer in the store, police said. The estimated value of the stolen bras is $1,281, according to police. No description of the suspected thief could be provided, police said. Several other incidents in which bras were stolen from the same Victoria's Secret store have been reported earlier this year. citizensvoice.com