By Daniel Massey
Four teenagers were arrested on charges of ordering more than $50,000 worth of items over the Internet with illegally obtained credit card numbers and using their families’ apartments in Forest Hills and Brooklyn as delivery points, the Queens district attorney said.
The teens ordered such goods as compact discs, computer games and digital video discs, accordign to the DA.
The boys allegedly stole credit card receipts from cash registers at the FAO Schwartz toy store in Manhattan and used the card numbers to order items on the Internet for their own use and for resale, said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
The DA identified the teenagers as Arlik Miles, 16, Kenneth Hayes, 16 and Terrell Kokason, 16, all from 345 Classon Ave. in Brooklyn. The fourth suspect, who remained unidentified because he is 15 years old, will be prosecuted in Family Court.
“The alleged actions of the defendants are serious crimes,” said Brown. “When credit card companies lose money through fraud, it is the consumer who ends up paying the bill.”
Miles, Hayes, and Kokason were each charged with six different crimes, including second-degree attempted grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. If convicted, they each face up to seven years in prison.
The youths were arrested after Amazon.com representatives became suspicious when the company received on-line orders valued at more than $50,000 from one computer using 10 different credit card numbers from 10 different people. The Internet megastore, which has an intricate system in place to prevent fraud, alerted authorities in New York City.
On July 30, an undercover city police detective delivered an order to 62-65 Saunders St. in Forest Hills, Brown said. Claiming to be the nephew of the addressee, Arlik Miles signed for it using a fictitious name, according to the district attorney.
Search warrants executed at the Saunders Street and Classon Avenue addresses on July 31 turned up Sony play stations and games, various digital video discs and a Nintendo Game Boy, the DA said.
Reach reporter Daniel Massey by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 139.
