7-State Theft Ring Busted In Crystal Lake
CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. (CBS) -- Police in Crystal Lake say they have broken up a seven-state theft and fraud ring.
As WBBM Newsradio's Dave Berner reports, authorities were called to a Chase Bank at 550 Crystal Point Dr. in Crystal Lake, for a reported attempted forgery, the Daily Herald reported. Two men in a drive-through lane were trying to cash a $2,000 check, but apparently, the account number was bogus, the newspaper reported.
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Police caught up with the suspects, and others, at a La Quinta hotel in Arlington Heights, and arrested four people – all of them from Florida.
Two men, Shannon McGonigle, 29, and Jason Mulderig, 30, both of Sunrise, Fla., were identified as the people who tried to cash the forged check, the Daily Herald reported. They were arrested along with Jameel Little, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Marcus Permenter, 28, of Pompano Beach, Fla., the newspaper reported.
Police say ring worked by recruiting low-level criminals to steal wallets and purses in one state, and using the IDs to try to cash checks in other states – usually at drive-through windows, and sometimes in disguises, the Daily Herald reported.
The ring was based in Florida, and had been in operation for several years. In addition to Florida and Illinois, the ring had also operated in Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Minnesota and Michigan, police told the Daily Herald.
