On March 15, a Town of Ontario woman left her purse in her vehicle while at Casey Park. Her vehicle was broken into and her purse, with her wallet containing identification, checks and credit cards was stolen.
On March 24, a woman, using a Lyons National Bank drive through teller in the Village of Wolcott, attempted to cash a $3200 stolen and forged check. The teller became suspicious and the woman quickly drove off. The alert teller prevented a major theft and the victim was out only about $8 in coins and cash from the stolen wallet.
State Police Investigators out of Williamson only had the surveillance picture of the woman trying to cash the stolen check, but luck was in their corner.
A press release and surveillance picture from another State Police case in Syracuse from March 23rd, led to the identification of the drive through woman from the Lyons National Bank incident.
In the Syracuse case the State Employee Federal Credit Union (SEFCU) contacted the State Police to report that they had been the victim of Felony Lane Gang style larcenies in the Town of Cicero and in the city of Syracuse.
After an investigation and collaborative effort by the New York State Police, Syracuse Police Department, SEFCU staff, and the Town of Colonie Police Department, a suspect was quickly identified and subsequently arrested on March 24th.
Investigators arrested Erin L. Hilliard, age 38 from Syracuse, NY for the following charges:
(2) counts of Identity Theft 1st degree, class “D” felony
(1) count of Grand Larceny 3rd degree, class “D” felony
(2) counts of Forgery 2nd degree, class “D” felony
(2) counts of Falsifying Business Records 1st degree, class “E” felony
(1) count of Possession Forged Instrument 2nd degree, class “D” felony
(1) count of Grand Larceny 4th degree, class “E” felony
(2) counts of Criminal Impersonation 2nd degree, class “A” misdemeanor
(1) count of Conspiracy 5th Degree, class “A” misdemeanor
(2) counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 5th Degree, class “A” misdemeanor
(2) counts of Unlawful Possession of Personal ID 3rd degree, class “A” misdemeanor
Erin Hilliard was arraigned and remanded to the Onondaga County Justice Center.
Hilliard was then arrested on Monday (4/17) at 9:30 a.m. for the Town of Ontario case and charged with:
• One count of Identity Theft First Degree, class “D” Felony
• One count of Unlawful Possession of Personal ID 3rd Degree, class “A” Misdemeanor
• One count of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property 5th Degree, class “A” Misdemeanor
• One Count of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree; Credit Card , class “A” Felony
• One count of Criminal Impersonation 2nd Degree, class “A” misdemeanor.
Hilliard was charged in the Village of Wolcott, then released back to the Onondaga County Jail, where she is being held on No Bail. She will appear
Hilliard, like many of the women involved in such scams is merely a pawn and part of the Felony Lane Gang.
The Felony Lane Gang is a national crime syndicate that has been targeting moms across the county for years, breaking into vehicles at parks, day care centers, dog parks, fitness centers and playground parking lots. The "Gang" originated in Florida more than a decade ago, target women’s purses left in vehicles with the goal of finding female identification, checks and credit cards.
They then recruit female check cashers, almost always suffering from an addiction, paying them in a portion of the stolen monies, or with drugs, according to the United States Department of Justice.
The Gang attempts to match the stolen identification with females, using wigs, scarfs, sunglasses and make-up in an attempt to impersonate the female victims.
The drug addicted women target usually more rural bank drive-through tellers at prime times in an effort to pass them off as the victims and to avoid detection-which is where the "Felony Lane Gang" gets its name from. They also send the bogus women on shopping sprees with stolen credit cards.
Over the last decade, more than 1,500 Felony Lane Gang members have been identified and arrested nationwide, according to the Felony Lane Gang Task Force, which uses Facebook to help police nationwide catch these traveling thieves. In Detroit, at least 26 members have been prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in recent years.
The FBI has ensnared many of these members, in part by monitoring their social media accounts. Selfies, along with bragging are also getting these bandits into trouble.
A Florida man has pleaded guilty to his role in the Felony Lane Gang between 2015 and 2020.
37-year-old Robert Natson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pled guilty on Wednesday, April 12, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, admitting he was involved in the Felony Lane Gang, which is the ring that ran through Central New York.
Natson admitted that the loss amount from the conspiracy attributable to him is up to $40,000.
Natson was one of nine men charged in a 13-count indictment for their roles in the scheme.
The following Felony Lane Gang members previously pled guilty for their roles in the indictment:
Keyshawn Arnold, age 25, of Schenectady, New York
Gary Grier, age 37, of Fort Lauderdale
Joshua Mallory, age 37, of Fort Lauderdale
Terrell McDonald, age 32, of Troy, New York
Tyrone Parker, age 40, of Fort Lauderdale
The remaining co-defendants are:
Tyrone Parker Jr. a/k/a “Ty,” a/k/a “Cheese,” a/k/a “Little Thigh,” age 22, of Fort Lauderdale;
Cedric Lynch a/k/a “City,” a/k/a “C,” age 37, of Orlando, Florida; and
Randall Taylor a/k/a “Gucci,” a/k/a “Guwop,” age 37, of Fort Lauderdale.
Each of the remaining defendants is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft, and they are scheduled for trial in federal court in Albany on July 10, 2023.
