End to shopping spree for woman with fraudulent credit cards
Interdiction Unit Brings End To Shopping Spree – Update #1
A Pompano Beach woman arrested in April for fraudulent credit card use now faces thirteen new charges.
Ann Marie Hernandez was arrested on the additional charges on May 31, 2011 while she was in court being arraigned on previous fraud charges.
Due to the nature of the original case, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Economic Crimes Unit continued an investigation into Hernandez and discovered she had fraudulently opened additional credit cards under the same victim’s name. The investigation shows Hernandez used the fraudulent credit cards at four Lee County businesses to rack up more than $6,000 in illicit charges.
The thirteen additional charges leveled against Hernandez include Scheme to Defraud, Criminal Use of Personal Information, Credit Card Fraud and Grand Theft.
(original press release from April 30, 2011)
A traffic stop brought an abrupt stop for a Pompano Beach woman who had been using a fraudulent credit card at two Southwest Florida Home Depot stores yesterday. On Friday, April 29, 2011, at 7:10 pm, deputies with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Highway Interdiction Unit pulled over a 1999, white, Chevrolet van traveling south on I-75 near Colonial Boulevard for driving below the minimum speed limit of 50 miles per hour. The driver took an inordinate amount of time to respond to the deputy’s attempt to get him to stop (a quarter mile). When the van came to a stop, it was still in the roadway. After getting off the highway to the grassy area the driver was approached and initially indicated he spoke only Spanish. The female passenger offered to help translate. Later, it was revealed the driver could speak and understand English.
During the stop, the deputy noticed the vehicle was full of high-end power tool equipment, some of which still had security tags attached. Further investigation revealed the story provided by the woman was not consistent with what was revealed during a search of the van. Detectives determined the items were recently purchased by her at a Cape Coral and Naples Home Depot using a fraudulent credit card account. Calls to Home Depot and Citibank confirmed fraudulent transactions totaling more than five-thousand dollars. Nearly half of the fraudulent items purchased were recovered during the traffic stop. The fraudulent credit card and a fraudulent Florida driver’s license were recovered during the investigation, concealed by the woman in a private area of her body.
Ann Marie Hernandez, age 45 (d.o.b. 04/09/65), of 2850 N.E. 9th Avenue, Pompano Beach, Florida was arrested and charged for single counts of Possession of a Fraudulent Driver’s License and Misrepresenting a Credit Card. The investigation continues and additional charges are pending. The driver was not charged, but issued a warning for his traffic violation.
Hernandez was transported to the Lee County Jail. An inmate photo and additional information is available on the Sheriff’s Office website at www.sheriffleefl.org under Arrests & Inmates / Search Lee County Arrests.