Federal authorities have arrested 14 people -- 10 of them from Montgomery -- accused of stealing funds intended for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
U.S. Attorney Leura Canary announced Friday that several of the 14 have been detained while awaiting trial, and that some have already pleaded guilty to the charges.
"Each of these 14 defendants are charged with consciously setting out to steal money intended for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita," Canary said in a news release. "Many of them compounded the offense by stealing others' identities to commit the crime. In total, our office has charged 51 defendants based upon Katrina and Rita fraud. We are committed to bringing these offenders to justice."
The defendants from Montgomery:
# Terrance Harris, 21, is charged with stealing more than $13,000 in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds intended for Katrina victims. The indictment alleges Harris accepted and cashed at least six checks that he was not entitled to. Arrested April 19, he remains in jail pending his June 23 trial. Harris is considered a flight risk and was not eligible for bond.
# Andrew D'Angelo Garrett, 23, is charged with eight counts of theft of Katrina-designated funds totaling more than $23,400. The indictment alleges Garrett and others filed four FEMA claims alleging residential damages in Harvey and New Orleans, La., even though Garrett lived in Montgomery. He remains on bond pending his June 23 trial.
# Tammy Holloway, 39, is charged with two counts of theft and one count of aggravated identity theft for filing two claims for Katrina disaster assistance. The indictment alleges Holloway used false identities to forge applications to FEMA that led to her receipt of $4,000 in U.S. Treasury checks. Her trial is set for Aug. 18.
# Thelma Elaine Foster, 42, and Isaphene Foster Riley, 57, are charged with theft and aggravated identity theft by filing an application for Katrina assistance in Riley's name with a false Social Security number. The indictment alleges they cashed a $2,000 check from FEMA, knowing they were not entitled to the money.
# Paul Graham, 27, pleaded guilty May 1 to improperly receiving and cashing checks from FEMA in excess of $8,000. Graham admitted that he allowed others to file fraudulent claims on his behalf in his name, and that he then cashed the disaster assistance checks that were made out to him. Graham also pleaded guilty to non-FEMA-related narcotics and drug charges. He remains in federal custody pending sentencing July 22, when he faces up to 40 years in prison for the FEMA charges alone.
# Michael Hood, 23, pleaded guilty April 28 to one count of theft of government property or money. Hood admitted to cashing a $2,000 check intended for Katrina victims. He faces up to 10 years in prison and will be sentenced Aug. 7.
# Dan Lee Johnson, 61, Della May Jones, 36, and Mack Murrell, 67, pleaded guilty to one count each of theft of government property. Each admitted to cashing a $2,000 FEMA check in the aftermath of Katrina, knowing they were not entitled to the money. Sentencing for Jones and Murrell is scheduled for Friday. Johnson's sentencing is scheduled for July 11. Each faces up to 10 years in prison.
According to statistics kept by the Department of Justice's Hurricane Katrina Fraud Task Force, the U.S. attorney's office for the Middle District of Alabama has charged the highest number of defendants in Alabama with Katrina fraud. Nationwide, the office is seventh in the number of total indictments. The Middle District also has obtained the longest sentence for Hurricane Katrina or Rita fraud.
Anyone with information concerning possible fraud being committed during the post-Katrina recovery effort is urged to call the Inspector General Fraud Hotline toll-free at 866-720-5721.
source
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
New front in war on ID theft
WHITE PLAINS - Most identity-theft cases involve someone using stolen information to purchase products, usually by credit card, and then keeping or selling the merchandise.
In what appears to be a new twist on the problem, a case unfolding in White Plains involves a Mount Vernon man suspected of using someone else's bank information to set himself up in business as a self-described "debt consolidator."
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James "Hollywood" Allen Jr., 47, is accused of using an 88-year-old White Plains woman's checking account to pay utility bills for "customers" who gave him 50 cents on the dollar for every debt he settled, police said. Allen paid the bills by telephone, it is alleged, because he was not required to prove he was authorized to draw money from the woman's account.
"This is not one of your more common ID-theft cases, but the bottom line is always the same," said Lt. Eric Fischer, commander of the White Plains police Detective Division. "You have to be vigilant about your financial information. If you notice anything suspicious, report it immediately. We can't stress that enough."
From May to November 2007, Allen is alleged to have paid between $250,000 and $300,000 worth of cable TV, utility, insurance and credit card bills, using the woman's checking account. In one instance, it is alleged, Allen received $3,000 for paying off a woman's $6,000 credit-card debt.
The scheme came to light in November, when the victim's daughter called police after discovering that dozens of electronic fund transfers had been made on her mother's North Fork Bank checking account. In an investigation that took weeks, White Plains police Detective Brian Connolly got subpoenas for each debt that was paid and began tracking down the account holders. In each case, the account holder identified Allen as the man who paid their bills.
Allen and 23 of his "customers" have been arrested. Allen is charged with counts of first-degree identity theft and second-degree grand larceny, both felonies. The others are all charged with identity theft or grand larceny or both. All are due in White Plains City Court on May 21.
Police are still trying to determine how the victim's account information was obtained.
"I'm not sure what we can do to prevent identity theft of this kind," said Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, a member of the Assembly's Banking Committee. "You could require people to enter a PIN number when they pay bills by phone, but those numbers will get stolen, too. Identity theft is a complex problem, and we're very interested in finding ways to prevent it."
source
In what appears to be a new twist on the problem, a case unfolding in White Plains involves a Mount Vernon man suspected of using someone else's bank information to set himself up in business as a self-described "debt consolidator."
Advertisement
James "Hollywood" Allen Jr., 47, is accused of using an 88-year-old White Plains woman's checking account to pay utility bills for "customers" who gave him 50 cents on the dollar for every debt he settled, police said. Allen paid the bills by telephone, it is alleged, because he was not required to prove he was authorized to draw money from the woman's account.
"This is not one of your more common ID-theft cases, but the bottom line is always the same," said Lt. Eric Fischer, commander of the White Plains police Detective Division. "You have to be vigilant about your financial information. If you notice anything suspicious, report it immediately. We can't stress that enough."
From May to November 2007, Allen is alleged to have paid between $250,000 and $300,000 worth of cable TV, utility, insurance and credit card bills, using the woman's checking account. In one instance, it is alleged, Allen received $3,000 for paying off a woman's $6,000 credit-card debt.
The scheme came to light in November, when the victim's daughter called police after discovering that dozens of electronic fund transfers had been made on her mother's North Fork Bank checking account. In an investigation that took weeks, White Plains police Detective Brian Connolly got subpoenas for each debt that was paid and began tracking down the account holders. In each case, the account holder identified Allen as the man who paid their bills.
Allen and 23 of his "customers" have been arrested. Allen is charged with counts of first-degree identity theft and second-degree grand larceny, both felonies. The others are all charged with identity theft or grand larceny or both. All are due in White Plains City Court on May 21.
Police are still trying to determine how the victim's account information was obtained.
"I'm not sure what we can do to prevent identity theft of this kind," said Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, a member of the Assembly's Banking Committee. "You could require people to enter a PIN number when they pay bills by phone, but those numbers will get stolen, too. Identity theft is a complex problem, and we're very interested in finding ways to prevent it."
source
Thursday, July 24, 2008
3 Kansas men charged in identity theft plot
Items to be sold on Internet were bought on stolen credit, police allege
By Justin Fenton | Sun reporter
May 3, 2008
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Federal authorities and police in two Baltimore-area counties are investigating what is believed to be an interstate identity-theft scheme that was foiled this week at a Glen Burnie department store.
Three Kansas residents were charged with multiple counts of theft in Anne Arundel County yesterday as authorities worked to determine the extent of the alleged scheme, which police said involved using others' identities to establish credit cards and buy items to sell on the Internet.
According to charging documents, employees became suspicious as the men - one wearing a suit and tie - shopped for expensive items at the Boscov's store at Marley Station Mall. Fraud investigators for the store checked the men's information and determined that they were using the identities of Alabama residents, who were contacted and said that they had not opened store credit accounts.
Confronted with the information, one of the men, Charles Ingram, fled from the customer pickup area, and an "intense" struggle ensued with four store detectives, police said.
A white rental van found in that area contained a large number of boxes covered with a tarp. Inside, detectives found more than $7,600 in tools purchased from Home Depot stores in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties.
The two other Kansas men, Valdaze McDaniel and Bryan Gatlin, were arrested in the store without incident, police said.
Police said Ingram had purchased about $2,120 worth of products in the store's home area, including a television and a GPS unit, and that McDaniel and Gatlin had together bought $2,930 worth of jewelry. The men were carrying a combined $6,400 in cash, which was seized as evidence, police said.
The men are suspected of offering for sale on the Internet items that they did not own and, once an order was placed and money had been sent, using false credit accounts to purchase the items. Detectives recovered paperwork that included shipping receipts, order confirmations, shopping lists and hotel reservations.
McDaniel and Gatlin were charged with multiple counts of fraud, making false statements, forgery, and theft. In addition to theft-related charges, Ingram was charged with five counts of second-degree assault and one count of resisting arrest.
Baltimore County police spokesman Bill Toohey said detectives were reviewing an inventory of the recovered items to determine whether there was a link to crimes there.
The FBI's field office in Baltimore also was contacted, and possible federal charges are being explored, according to charging documents.
source
By Justin Fenton | Sun reporter
May 3, 2008
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Federal authorities and police in two Baltimore-area counties are investigating what is believed to be an interstate identity-theft scheme that was foiled this week at a Glen Burnie department store.
Three Kansas residents were charged with multiple counts of theft in Anne Arundel County yesterday as authorities worked to determine the extent of the alleged scheme, which police said involved using others' identities to establish credit cards and buy items to sell on the Internet.
According to charging documents, employees became suspicious as the men - one wearing a suit and tie - shopped for expensive items at the Boscov's store at Marley Station Mall. Fraud investigators for the store checked the men's information and determined that they were using the identities of Alabama residents, who were contacted and said that they had not opened store credit accounts.
Confronted with the information, one of the men, Charles Ingram, fled from the customer pickup area, and an "intense" struggle ensued with four store detectives, police said.
A white rental van found in that area contained a large number of boxes covered with a tarp. Inside, detectives found more than $7,600 in tools purchased from Home Depot stores in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties.
The two other Kansas men, Valdaze McDaniel and Bryan Gatlin, were arrested in the store without incident, police said.
Police said Ingram had purchased about $2,120 worth of products in the store's home area, including a television and a GPS unit, and that McDaniel and Gatlin had together bought $2,930 worth of jewelry. The men were carrying a combined $6,400 in cash, which was seized as evidence, police said.
The men are suspected of offering for sale on the Internet items that they did not own and, once an order was placed and money had been sent, using false credit accounts to purchase the items. Detectives recovered paperwork that included shipping receipts, order confirmations, shopping lists and hotel reservations.
McDaniel and Gatlin were charged with multiple counts of fraud, making false statements, forgery, and theft. In addition to theft-related charges, Ingram was charged with five counts of second-degree assault and one count of resisting arrest.
Baltimore County police spokesman Bill Toohey said detectives were reviewing an inventory of the recovered items to determine whether there was a link to crimes there.
The FBI's field office in Baltimore also was contacted, and possible federal charges are being explored, according to charging documents.
source
Monday, July 21, 2008
Identity theft victim recalls night in jail
Michael Baird arrested on warrant for man who stole his ID.
y TOM QUIGLEY
The Express-Times
FLEMINGTON | Michael Henry Baird can now add a new item to the list of outrageous incidents he's endured since the 2005 theft of his identity -- his first time in jail.
The Upper Mount Bethel Township resident said he's also looking for a good lawyer.
A Florida arrest warrant for a man who used Baird's identity led to the 29-year-old Baird's arrest by a Clinton Township police officer Monday.
"I explained to the officer on the scene what happened to me with the identity theft," Baird said. "Several more officers were called for backup."
He said the arresting officer checked and found the warrant.
The officer "asked me to step out of the vehicle, put my hands on the back of the truck and spread my legs."
Police then frisked him, transported him to headquarters and to the Hunterdon County Jail.
Corrections officers took his money, handcuffed him to a bench and left him there for about 30 minutes during a shift change.
Baird -- owner of a welding business -- said he then spoke to an intake officer.
After that, "I was escorted to a small closet by a corrections officer and told to strip."
hen, dressed in a jumpsuit and slippers, he received a bag with two blankets and a plastic spork.
"They took me to D Block," he said. "I pretty much went straight to my cell, No. 93. It was late and I was afraid of mixing with the other inmates so I figured I should just go and hide out."
Baird said he couldn't sleep in part because he didn't have a mattress.
"I felt like it was one of those bad dreams, like being in an insane asylum," he said.
A sergeant at the jail spent most of the day Tuesday checking out Baird's story, fielding phone call after phone call.
Hunterdon County Corrections Administrator Scott Nodes finally made the decision Baird was free to go. He was then released from the jail at 5 p.m. and sat outside waiting for his father to arrive.
A check with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office in Florida on Wednesday afternoon showed the warrant for Baird's arrest remains active.
"They're the rudest people we've ever dealt with," Baird said of the Volusia sheriff's office. Authorities have already amended arrest warrants in Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York and California after learning of the identity theft.
But Baird remains charged by the Daytona Beach Police Department with forgery.
Georgia authorities have charged Sean Vincent Zarate, a Northampton County native and former friend of Baird's, with stealing Baird's identity.
source
y TOM QUIGLEY
The Express-Times
FLEMINGTON | Michael Henry Baird can now add a new item to the list of outrageous incidents he's endured since the 2005 theft of his identity -- his first time in jail.
The Upper Mount Bethel Township resident said he's also looking for a good lawyer.
A Florida arrest warrant for a man who used Baird's identity led to the 29-year-old Baird's arrest by a Clinton Township police officer Monday.
"I explained to the officer on the scene what happened to me with the identity theft," Baird said. "Several more officers were called for backup."
He said the arresting officer checked and found the warrant.
The officer "asked me to step out of the vehicle, put my hands on the back of the truck and spread my legs."
Police then frisked him, transported him to headquarters and to the Hunterdon County Jail.
Corrections officers took his money, handcuffed him to a bench and left him there for about 30 minutes during a shift change.
Baird -- owner of a welding business -- said he then spoke to an intake officer.
After that, "I was escorted to a small closet by a corrections officer and told to strip."
hen, dressed in a jumpsuit and slippers, he received a bag with two blankets and a plastic spork.
"They took me to D Block," he said. "I pretty much went straight to my cell, No. 93. It was late and I was afraid of mixing with the other inmates so I figured I should just go and hide out."
Baird said he couldn't sleep in part because he didn't have a mattress.
"I felt like it was one of those bad dreams, like being in an insane asylum," he said.
A sergeant at the jail spent most of the day Tuesday checking out Baird's story, fielding phone call after phone call.
Hunterdon County Corrections Administrator Scott Nodes finally made the decision Baird was free to go. He was then released from the jail at 5 p.m. and sat outside waiting for his father to arrive.
A check with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office in Florida on Wednesday afternoon showed the warrant for Baird's arrest remains active.
"They're the rudest people we've ever dealt with," Baird said of the Volusia sheriff's office. Authorities have already amended arrest warrants in Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York and California after learning of the identity theft.
But Baird remains charged by the Daytona Beach Police Department with forgery.
Georgia authorities have charged Sean Vincent Zarate, a Northampton County native and former friend of Baird's, with stealing Baird's identity.
source
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Philly man sentenced in New York on federal identity theft charges
ALBANY, NY – Federal, New York and Town of Colonie Police Department officials Wednesday announced that Nelson Slaughter, 43, of Philadelphia, was sentenced in US District Court in Albany on five felony counts.
The convictions related to an identity theft scheme perpetrated by Slaughter and others from the Philadelphia area that has victimized elderly women through the United States, including several from the upstate New York region.
He was was sentenced for one count of mail fraud, one count of identification document fraud, one count of mailing a threatening communication, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Judge Sharpe sentenced Slaughter to concurrent terms of imprisonment of 51months for the mail and identification document fraud counts and for the charge of mailing a threatening communication. A term of 24 months was imposed for each of the aggravated identity theft charges, to be served concurrently to each other, but consecutive to the other counts. In total, he will serve 75 months in prison.
The convictions related to an identity theft scheme perpetrated by Slaughter and others from the Philadelphia area that has victimized elderly women through the United States, including several from the upstate New York region.
He was was sentenced for one count of mail fraud, one count of identification document fraud, one count of mailing a threatening communication, and two counts of aggravated identity theft.
Judge Sharpe sentenced Slaughter to concurrent terms of imprisonment of 51months for the mail and identification document fraud counts and for the charge of mailing a threatening communication. A term of 24 months was imposed for each of the aggravated identity theft charges, to be served concurrently to each other, but consecutive to the other counts. In total, he will serve 75 months in prison.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Former Pittsburgh Teacher Accused Of eBay Fraud, Identity Theft
Jason Joy Faces State Charges; Feds Also Investigating
PITTSBURGH -- "He is probably the biggest fraudster I have seen. I've never seen anybody like him," said Pennsylvania state trooper Thomas Broadwater of Jason Joy.
Broadwater said Joy, of Uniontown, is accused of stealing the identities of family members and a former student.
Broadwater said, "He was using their debit cards to pay for the fees for selling stuff and they got their statements and saw these charges to eBay or PayPal and they were like,`I didn't do this'."
Joy was once Erin Plavecsky's math professor at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He no longer works there.
Plavecsky says she tried to buy something on eBay and found her PayPal account was frozen.
Plavecsky said, "When I called PayPal to find out why, they told me that there was another account with my name on it and that account was frozen because it was negative $300."
She also said, "He opened up an account on PayPal and was selling stuff in my name."
Plavecsky was getting calls from people because the goods they ordered from the account in her name weren't being delivered.
Investigators said the items ordered included rare coins and Rolex watches.
Kerry Joy is Jason Joy's ex-wife and an alleged victim.
She said, "It was a very big surprise to me. I've had many people call me at home and harassing me in the middle of the night asking where their stuff is from eBay."
According to a criminal complaint, a U.S. postal inspector has been investigating Joy for about a year for eBay fraud complaints from at least 100 victims throughout the United States.
Broadwater said, "Items were either bid on and not paid for or sold and never sent."
State police in Uniontown used computer forensics to track Joy to various e-mail addresses.
Broadwater said, "I was having actual real-time conversations with him through e-mails ."
The trooper was also able to pinpoint a library computer in central Pennsylvania that Joy was using.
Broadwater said, "He was found to be actually using that e-mail address when he said he never did."
Police knew he was using the computer because they had someone physically go to the library and look at him while he was online .
When Target 11 investigator karen Welles confronted Joy and asked if he stole anyone's identity, Joy refused to answer her.
Joy's attorney also refused to answer questions about the case.
Joy finds out June 25 if he'll be ordered to stand trial on identity theft charges.
Officials also expect a federal indictment against him as well.
source
PITTSBURGH -- "He is probably the biggest fraudster I have seen. I've never seen anybody like him," said Pennsylvania state trooper Thomas Broadwater of Jason Joy.
Broadwater said Joy, of Uniontown, is accused of stealing the identities of family members and a former student.
Broadwater said, "He was using their debit cards to pay for the fees for selling stuff and they got their statements and saw these charges to eBay or PayPal and they were like,`I didn't do this'."
Joy was once Erin Plavecsky's math professor at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He no longer works there.
Plavecsky says she tried to buy something on eBay and found her PayPal account was frozen.
Plavecsky said, "When I called PayPal to find out why, they told me that there was another account with my name on it and that account was frozen because it was negative $300."
She also said, "He opened up an account on PayPal and was selling stuff in my name."
Plavecsky was getting calls from people because the goods they ordered from the account in her name weren't being delivered.
Investigators said the items ordered included rare coins and Rolex watches.
Kerry Joy is Jason Joy's ex-wife and an alleged victim.
She said, "It was a very big surprise to me. I've had many people call me at home and harassing me in the middle of the night asking where their stuff is from eBay."
According to a criminal complaint, a U.S. postal inspector has been investigating Joy for about a year for eBay fraud complaints from at least 100 victims throughout the United States.
Broadwater said, "Items were either bid on and not paid for or sold and never sent."
State police in Uniontown used computer forensics to track Joy to various e-mail addresses.
Broadwater said, "I was having actual real-time conversations with him through e-mails ."
The trooper was also able to pinpoint a library computer in central Pennsylvania that Joy was using.
Broadwater said, "He was found to be actually using that e-mail address when he said he never did."
Police knew he was using the computer because they had someone physically go to the library and look at him while he was online .
When Target 11 investigator karen Welles confronted Joy and asked if he stole anyone's identity, Joy refused to answer her.
Joy's attorney also refused to answer questions about the case.
Joy finds out June 25 if he'll be ordered to stand trial on identity theft charges.
Officials also expect a federal indictment against him as well.
source
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Sheriff says identity theft ring broken up, suspect shot
Authorities say they broke up an identity theft ring Wednesday, but only after a violent struggle in a downtown Omaha hotel hallway in which a suspect was shot in the chest and a sheriff's deputy was hit over the head with a vase.
Jason Galle, 32, of Omaha was taken to Creighton University Medical Center in critical condition from the gunshot wound. Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy Mike Smith suffered about a 4-inch gash in the back of his head and also was taken to Creighton.
Smith was treated and released. Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning said Galle is expected to recover.
The incident unfolded as if from a movie script. According to Dunning:
Deputies Smith and Brenda Wheeler went to the Courtyard by Marriott, 10th and Dodge Streets, about 10 a.m. Wednesday after employees become suspicious of a couple who had checked in using what appeared to be a stolen credit card.
Smith, who has been with the Sheriff's Office 10 years, and Wheeler, a 16-year-veteran, headed to Room 416, where the couple were staying. As the two deputies left the elevator and headed down the hallway, they saw Galle and a 23-year-old pregnant woman coming out of the room.
Galle was carrying a rolled-up pair of blue jeans under his arm, and the woman was holding a black satchel.
Galle tried to hurry past the deputies and into the elevator, when Smith tried to stop him. As Galle pushed the deputy back, the jeans fell from his arm, and a .22-caliber pistol tumbled out.
The two men began to struggle while Wheeler took control of the woman, fearing that she, too, could be carrying a gun.
Smith then got one of Galle's wrists handcuffed, but Galle grabbed a heavy glass vase and smashed Smith across the back of the head.
Dunning said that by that time, the deputy was "fighting for his life'' and unholstered his Smith & Wesson 9 mm revolver.
Smith fired once, striking Galle in the chest.
Galle fell to the floor and curled up, bleeding so much that early reports indicated that he had been shot twice, once in the chest and once in the leg.
Smith was bleeding from the back of the head.
Deputies learned that Galle and the woman were headed to a room on the eighth floor where two other men were staying.
Additional deputies arrived at the hotel. Authorities headed to the eighth floor, where they found two men in a room with a copy machine and other instruments used for making false identification, Dunning said.
"I'm really having a good feeling that this will lead to the closing of an identity theft ring,'' he said.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said his office would review reports from the Sheriff's Office when the investigation is completed and decide what charges are appropriate.
The incident had its genesis in a Sunday morning church service at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, near 153rd and Pacific Streets.
A woman left her purse in her car while she attended Mass. Someone broke into the car and stole the purse, which contained cash, identification and credit cards.
Because the church is outside Omaha's city limits, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, not the Omaha Police Department, responded to the call and handled the investigation.
Wednesday, Galle and the woman arrived at the hotel and checked in using one of the credit cards. Hotel employees became suspicious of the two, so they called the name listed on the card. A person answered the phone and confirmed that the people staying at the hotel were not authorized to use the card.
That's when hotel employees called authorities. Marriott officials have declined to comment.
source
Jason Galle, 32, of Omaha was taken to Creighton University Medical Center in critical condition from the gunshot wound. Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy Mike Smith suffered about a 4-inch gash in the back of his head and also was taken to Creighton.
Smith was treated and released. Douglas County Sheriff Tim Dunning said Galle is expected to recover.
The incident unfolded as if from a movie script. According to Dunning:
Deputies Smith and Brenda Wheeler went to the Courtyard by Marriott, 10th and Dodge Streets, about 10 a.m. Wednesday after employees become suspicious of a couple who had checked in using what appeared to be a stolen credit card.
Smith, who has been with the Sheriff's Office 10 years, and Wheeler, a 16-year-veteran, headed to Room 416, where the couple were staying. As the two deputies left the elevator and headed down the hallway, they saw Galle and a 23-year-old pregnant woman coming out of the room.
Galle was carrying a rolled-up pair of blue jeans under his arm, and the woman was holding a black satchel.
Galle tried to hurry past the deputies and into the elevator, when Smith tried to stop him. As Galle pushed the deputy back, the jeans fell from his arm, and a .22-caliber pistol tumbled out.
The two men began to struggle while Wheeler took control of the woman, fearing that she, too, could be carrying a gun.
Smith then got one of Galle's wrists handcuffed, but Galle grabbed a heavy glass vase and smashed Smith across the back of the head.
Dunning said that by that time, the deputy was "fighting for his life'' and unholstered his Smith & Wesson 9 mm revolver.
Smith fired once, striking Galle in the chest.
Galle fell to the floor and curled up, bleeding so much that early reports indicated that he had been shot twice, once in the chest and once in the leg.
Smith was bleeding from the back of the head.
Deputies learned that Galle and the woman were headed to a room on the eighth floor where two other men were staying.
Additional deputies arrived at the hotel. Authorities headed to the eighth floor, where they found two men in a room with a copy machine and other instruments used for making false identification, Dunning said.
"I'm really having a good feeling that this will lead to the closing of an identity theft ring,'' he said.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine said his office would review reports from the Sheriff's Office when the investigation is completed and decide what charges are appropriate.
The incident had its genesis in a Sunday morning church service at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church, near 153rd and Pacific Streets.
A woman left her purse in her car while she attended Mass. Someone broke into the car and stole the purse, which contained cash, identification and credit cards.
Because the church is outside Omaha's city limits, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, not the Omaha Police Department, responded to the call and handled the investigation.
Wednesday, Galle and the woman arrived at the hotel and checked in using one of the credit cards. Hotel employees became suspicious of the two, so they called the name listed on the card. A person answered the phone and confirmed that the people staying at the hotel were not authorized to use the card.
That's when hotel employees called authorities. Marriott officials have declined to comment.
source
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