Crime & Safety
Cops: Man Tried to Buy $18K in Gift Cards Using Stolen Information
Elmont man found with more than 130 reencoded credit and gift cards after trying to make purchase in East Garden City, cops said.
An Elmont man faces charges after he tried to buy $18,000 in gift cards from Bloomingdale’s using a stolen debit card, according to Nassau County Police.
Cops said Michael Richards, 51, went to the East Garden City store and tried to buy a pair of jeans and 18 gift cards valued at $1,000 each.
Richards used a Visa Debit card that had been reencoded with account information from woman’s account at another bank, police said.
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After taking Richards into custody, cops said they found him with five reencoded credit and gift cards. An investigation led police to discover another 130 credit and gift cards that had been reencoded with stolen account information, cops said.
Richards was charged with one count of third-degree grand larceny, 18 counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument, and one count of first-degree identity theft. He was arraigned Saturday at First District Court in Hempstead.
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