The deals were amazing. Thousands of dollars worth of merchandise was ordered from the Belk department store website, according to Cobb County police.
But the six suspects in a racketeering theft ring found a way to trick the system, reversing the credit card charges on the purchases, arrest warrants say. Merchandise was delivered, but not paid for, police said.
When an order was made online, no shipping or charges took place within the first hour. Then, the alleged criminals went to work.
“After the hour had lapsed, the group was able to cancel the order and avoid a charge to the credit card,” warrants say.
Merchandise was then delivered to the suspects, who returned it at various Belk stores in Kennesaw, Conyers and Atlanta. The fraudulent orders on Belk's website began in April 2015 and lasted until May of this year, when Cobb police began investigating the thefts.
The lead detective on the case obtained subpoenas for email addresses and IP addresses to identify the suspects, Officer Alicia Chilton said Wednesday. The total loss to the stores is estimated at more than $170,000, police said.
Arrest warrants have been issued for the suspects, all charged with racketeering, a felony. The suspects include: Robert Andre Johnson of McDonough, Morris Ray Bratts of Duluth, John Dang of Buford, Travis Devantee Hardeman and Joshua Williams, both of Covington, and Edward Steve Vergara of Gainesville. Johnson was also charged with theft by deception.
The suspects range in age from 18 to 23. None of the suspects was in custody late Wednesday.
About the Author
