Man Stole $100K In Jewelry With Stolen Credit Cards: Wallingford Police

WALLINGFORD, CT — A local man is accused of stealing upwards of $100,000 in jewelry throughout Connecticut while using fraudulent credit cards, according to Wallingford Police. The suspect, who was also wanted on arrest warrants out of Louisiana and Texas for similar thefts in those areas, was caught making purchases at local jewelry stores with a dead person’s credit card, according to police.

Wallingford Police launched the investigation into the fraudulent credit card case on May 16. Police said the suspect making the purchases was also using a fraudulent identification card in the name of the deceased person. (To sign up for Wallingford breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

During the investigation, police determined that the suspect conducted transactions at various jewelry stores throughout Connecticut and the estimated profits from the alleged theft is upwards of $100,000, according to Lt. Michael Colavolpe.

“Surveillance photos captured the subject committing the thefts, however, his real identity was unknown,” Colavolpe said in a press release. “As a result of this, a memo with photographs of the subject was sent to all Wallingford Police Officers in an attempt to identify him.”

On Monday, May 22, a patrol officer saw a subject matching the description of the suspect in the thefts walking on Toelles Road.

“The officer made contact with the individual who provided a false name and upon further investigation, the credit cards and fraudulent identification card were located in his wallet,” Colavolpe said. “The subject was taken into custody and transported to police headquarters.”

During the booking process, the suspect was identified by his fingerprints as 29-year-old Anthony Ranko, aka Anthony Spencer, aka Rocky Franco, according to Colavolpe.

Colavolpe said Ranko appears to be a transient and is currently an address on South Orchard Street in Wallingford.

Ranko was charged with second-degree forgery, credit card fraud and criminal impersonation. He was detained on a $25,000 bond and issued a court date of June 5 at Meriden Superior Court.

Additionally, Ranko was found to have extraditable arrest warrants out of Louisiana and Texas, according to Colavolpe, who said the warrants stem from similar thefts as those committed in Connecticut. Both states indicated an interest in having Ranko returned to face charges, Colavolpe said.

Ranko was charged as a fugitive from justice and held on a $300,000 bond. He is scheduled to be arraigned on those charges on Tuesday, May 23, at Meriden Superior Court.

“It is anticipated that Ranko will be facing additional charges in Connecticut for thefts that are currently being investigated by the Wallingford Police Department as well as other departments throughout the state,” Colavolpe said. “Anyone with information on Ranko can contact Detective Fairbrother of the Wallingford Police Department at 203-294-2845.”

Pictured: Anthony Ranko / Wallingford Police Department