Cigarette Purchases Prompt Fraud Charges, $100K Bond

A Bronx man was arrested and held on $100,000 bond last week following several instances of alleged credit card fraud in Darien.

Alpha Diallo, 22, was taken into custody on charges of larceny, illegal use of a credit card, and receipt of money or services obtained by illegal use of a credit card. 

placed Diallo under arrest on Feb. 15 at the Bronx County Hall of Justice in New York, where he waived extradition. He is also the subject of a hold by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The charges stem from a complaint received in September 2010 from the Abbeville Police Department in Louisiana. Officials there contacted Darien and Norwalk police to inform them that an Abbeville man's credit card had been fraudulently used several times in the area. 

The transactions included purchases on Sept. 20 at the Darien Amoco (1358 Post Rd.), the Darien Gulf (1044 Post Rd.), and the Darien CVS (964 Post Rd.).

Police first contacted the owner of the Gulf and were shown surveillance video of the transaction. In it, a subject described as a black male, 5' 8", with a thin build purchased a carton of Newport 100 cigarettes for $95. The video also showed the man's vehicle, a grey, late model Dodge Charger.

Interviews with employees and footage from the CVS and Amoco showed nearly identical transactions on the same day by a similar looking man. The subject purchased $171 and $91 in Newport 100s at the stores, respectively, for a total of $357 in alleged fraudulent purchases.

Using surveillance video from the Amoco, police traced the man's vehicle registration to a Hertz Rent-a-Car location in New Rochelle, N.Y. When contacted, the company told them that Diallo had rented the vehicle on Sept. 13 using an Ohio license and that it was due to be returned Oct. 4

Police subsequently obtained a warrant for Diallo's arrest. He appeared in court on Feb. 16, the day after he was taken into custody.

According to Darien Police, Diallo had additionally been arrested in Naugatuck, Conn. on Oct. 2 for conspiracy to commit identity theft. Norwalk Police also have an open investigation into possible fraudulent transactions there by Diallo.

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