NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE
OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE

Englewood, N.J. - On Thursday, May 1, 2014, the New Jersey State Police and partnering agencies arrested five members of a theft ring that used stolen credit cards to purchase more than $100,000 in merchandise from websites and electronics stores in northern New Jersey.

According to detectives, Lewis Agyeman, the suspected ring leader, purchased merchandise online using stolen credit card information, and directed associates to pick up packages at various locations. Detectives seized computers, tablets, mobile phones, televisions, audio equipment, cookware, jewelry, clothing, credit cards, a Mercedes Benz, $10,000 in U.S. currency, and froze one bank account worth $12,500.

The six month investigation dubbed Operation Parcel Post consisted of members from the New Jersey State Police Cyber Crimes Unit, Missing Persons Unit, Digital Technology Investigations Unit, T.E.A.M.S. Unit, Canine Unit, Troop B Tactical Patrol Unit, FBI, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and Englewood Township Police Department.

All of the individuals arrested were charged with Conspiracy, Theft by Deception, Receiving Stolen Property, Fencing, Shoplifting, and Credit Card Theft. Agyeman was additionally charged with Trafficking in Personal Identifying Information.

The investigation revealed additional criminal activity by Agyeman when detectives discovered that he had created a fictitious dating profile that he used to fraudulently obtain money from women victims. For his online profile, Agyeman used a fake name and described himself as a six-foot-tall Latino man. He established online relationships with women and then fabricated emergency situations in an attempt to get them to send him money. Detectives learned that he received money from several victims that totaled approximately $10,000. For this activity he was charged with Theft by Deception and Impersonation.

Operation Parcel Post led to the arrest of:

			Bail	Charges
Lewis Agyeman	29	Englewood	$95k	Trafficking in Personal Identifying Information Conspiracy Theft by Deception Receiving Stolen Property Fencing Shoplifting Credit Card Theft Impersonation Money Laundering Theft by Deception (For Dating Scam) Impersonation (For Dating Scam) Lodged in Ocean County Jail in default of $95,000 bail full cash
Alexis Owusu	32	Englewood	$75k	Conspiracy Theft by Deception Receiving Stolen Property Fencing Shoplifting Credit Card Theft Impersonation Lodged in Ocean County Jail in default of $75,000 bail full cash
Philliana Rivers	21	Englewood	$75k	Conspiracy Theft by Deception Receiving Stolen Property Fencing Shoplifting Credit Card Theft Impersonation Lodged in Ocean County Jail in default of $75,000 bail full cash
Kimberly Findlay	21	Englewood	$75k	Conspiracy Theft by Deception Receiving Stolen Property Fencing Shoplifting Credit Card Theft Impersonation Lodged in Ocean County Jail in default of $75,000 bail full cash
James Owusu	31	Englewood	$75k	Conspiracy Theft by Deception Receiving Stolen Property Fencing Shoplifting Credit Card Theft Impersonation Lodged in Ocean County Jail in default of $75,000 bail full cash

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