Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Memphis, Huntsville Residents Charged With Identity Theft
The arrest of two men by local authorities last week on identity theft crimes prompted an investigation that encompasses numerous federal agencies.
Members of the Lawrenceburg Police Department were notified of the matter on Thursday by officials with the Loss Prevention Department of Walmart.
They reported that they had identified two persons inside the Lawrenceburg store who were using credit cards to purchase gift cards, jewelry, and prepaid credit cards.
Police department detectives quickly established a surveillance operation and were able to confront the two suspects in the parking lot. When they were searched, detectives report they discovered that the men were in possession of fake identification along with a large number of credit cards that had been obtained under the same name as the ID.
Further investigation revealed that the data on the cards had been altered to contain information from stolen credit cards.
Two individuals were arrested during the operation. Memphis resident Albert Desire Nomel, age 27, was issued charges that include identity theft, theft over $500, simple possession of marijuana, and six counts of criminal simulation.
The second arrestee was Nathaniel Morgan, Jr., 23, of Huntsville, Alabama. He was charged with crimes including identity theft, theft over $500, simple possession of marijuana, and five counts of criminal simulation.
Both Nomel and Morgan were arrested and transported to the Lawrence County Detention Center without further incident.
Detectives report that they area continuing the investigation in conjunction with the representatives of the U.S. Secret Service, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and numerous other law enforcement agencies. Additional charges are expected to be issued.
