Gang Targeted Women In $1.5M Smash-Grab ID Thefts: Putnam Sheriff

An investigator for the Putnam County Sheriff's Office noticed a connection to other states in the larceny and identity theft case he was pursuing. He called the FBI, prompting a lengthy national probe that culminated in nine recent arrests of the "Felony Lane Gang."

Now nine men have been charged in a 13-count indictment for their roles in a wide-ranging $1.5 million bank fraud and identity theft scheme that affected hundreds of victims, mostly women. The announcement was made by Acting United States Attorney Antoinette T. Bacon; William F.Sweeney, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation; and Sheriff Robert L. Langley, Jr. of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department.

The nine were collectively involved in more than 700 smash-and-grab thefts and roughly 1,000 fraudulent bank transactions in the Northern District of New York and all over the country, with losses exceeding $1.5 million, Langley said.

The mobile identity theft ring targeted women along the East Coast, prosecutors alleged. They used stolen identification from one victim to conduct fraudulent transactions using checks and credit cards stolen from another victim.

The group traveled across the country breaking into cars, often selecting those parked by women at health and fitness centers, daycares, outdoor recreational parks and dog parks, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said after committing these “smash-and-grab” vehicle thefts, members of the conspiracy stole debit cards, credit cards, check books, and photo identifications, which they later used to commit bank fraud, sometimes even years later.

The leaders of the scheme allegedly recruited women, whom they often referred to as “faces,” to impersonate the smash-and-grab victims in drive-thru bank lanes. The recruited check cashers were almost always suffering from an addiction to a controlled substance and were provided payment at least partially in narcotics.

The nine men are:

• TYRONE PARKER, JR. a/k/a “Ty,” a/k/a “Cheese,” a/k/a “Little Thigh,” 21, of Fort
• Lauderdale, Florida
• JOSHUA MALLORY, a/k/a “P,” a/k/a “Pudge,” 35, of Fort Lauderdale
• TYRONE PARKER, a/k/a “Tyron Parker,” a/k/a “Thigh,” 39, of Fort Lauderdale
• RANDALL TAYLOR, a/k/a “Gucci,” a/k/a “Guwop,” 34, of Fort Lauderdale
• CEDRIC LYNCH, a/k/a “City,” a/k/a “C,” 35, of Orlando, Florida
• TERRELL MCDONALD, a/k/a “Ruger,” a/k/a “Moon,” 30, of Troy, New York
• KEYSHAWN ARNOLD, a/k/a “Key,” 23, of Schenectady, New York
• ROBERT NATSON, a/k/a “Big Rob,” 34, of Fort Lauderdale
• GARY GRIER, a/k/a “G,” 34, of Fort Lauderdale

Each is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity
theft.

McDonald was arrested in Troy; Mallory, Parker, Lynch, and Grier were arrested in Florida; Taylor
was arrested in Utah; and Parker, Jr. was arrested in Georgia. Arnold was in New York State custody on unrelated state charges and will come into federal custody at a later date.

If convicted of the charges, the defendants each face up to 30 years in prison, and a mandatory minimum sentence of 2 years on each aggravated identity theft count. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case is being investigated by the FBI Westchester Resident Agency of the New York Field
Office and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in
Albany, Miami, and Salt Lake City, and Resident Agencies in Savannah, Georgia, and Portland, Maine, and from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine, the Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office, and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.

Additional assistance was provided by numerous law enforcement agencies, including, within New York, the New York State Police; Columbia County Sheriff's Office; Genesee County Sheriff’s Office; Monroe County Sheriff’s Office; Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office; Warren County Sheriff’s Office; and the police departments of the Town of Bethlehem; Glens Falls; Gloversville; Greenburgh; Greece; and Watervliet; and elsewhere, Connecticut State Police; Florida Department of Law Enforcement; Georgia State Patrol; Illinois State Police; Massachusetts State Police; Broward County, FL Sheriff’s Office; Northern York County, PA Regional Police; Southern Chester County, PA Regional Police; Utah County, UT Sheriff's Office; and the police departments of Auburn, MA; Bath, ME; Biddeford, ME; Bozeman, MT; Brunswick, ME; Caernarvon Township, PA; Chester Township, PA; Cinnaminson, NJ; Darien, CT; East Norriton Township, PA; Easthampton, MA; Greenwich, CT; Lower Moreland Township, PA; Manheim Township, PA; Portland, ME; Portsmouth, NH; Saco, ME; Salisbury, MA; Sanford, ME; Scarborough, ME; Somersworth, NH; South Portland, ME; St. George, UT; Syracuse, UT; Tinicum, PA; Towamencin, PA; Tewksbury, MA; Wakefield, MA; Yarmouth, ME; and York, ME.