A federal grand jury has indicted five people in a central Ohio identity theft ring that allegedly used victims' person information to obtain and use new and existing in-store lines of credit at major retailers.
Jim Letizia reports.
35-year-old Kwame McCauley of Canal Winchester, 26-year-old Deangelo Simms of Reynoldsburg, 43-year-old Shirley Dillen of Westerville, 38-year-old Julie Ring of Columbus and 32-year old Robert Tingler of Columbus face conspiracy to commit wire fraud charges. McCauley, the alleged ringleader, also faces wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges. Prosecutors say from January 2014 until January 2016 the group bought store merchandise after fraudulently obtaining new and using existing credit from retail stores. McCauley allegedly provided false identification cards containing the victims' information but bearing photographs of the co-defendants who were "shoppers." The group would travel to various clothing and electronic retail stores in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and elsewhere. The group reviewed the victims' credit history reports and personal information prior to arrival at the stores to answer any qualifying questions used to screen credit applicants. Prosecutors say retailers lost 150 thousand dollars in the scam.
