JULY 12, 2000
D.A. BROWN: LAURELTON MAN CHARGED WITH STEALING COMPUTERS WORTH MORE THAN $62,000 WHICH HE ORDERED BY CLAIMING A NONEXISTENT PUBLIC SCHOOL OPERATED AT WHAT WAS REALLY HIS HOME ADDRESS
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown today announced the arrest of a Laurelton man on charges of having stolen computers worth more than $62,000 by having them sent to a fictitious school at his home address 130-38 218 Street and never paying for them.
District Attorney Brown said that the defendant, Arnett Crawford, also known as Anthony Forde, 42, of 130-38 218 Street, Laurelton is charged with grand larceny, criminal possession of forgery devices, falsifying business records and criminal impersonation. He faces up to 7 years in prison if convicted.
District Attorney Brown said, "Criminals think that they can commit crimes over the Internet with impunity. We are here to tell them that their activities do not go unnoticed and that we will find them and prosecute them."
According to the complaint, the defendant allegedly contacted PC Connections of New Hampshire on their website in March claiming to represent Grace Memorial Public School and ordered more than $42,000 in computers and software to be delivered to the school’s address in Laurelton. Purchase orders in the name of the school were received and the equipment was sent with the understanding that the bill would be paid within 30 days from the receipt of the shipment. When the payments were never made representatives of PC Connections tried to reach the school but were never able to.
It is further alleged that the defendant, identifying himself as Anthony Forde a representative of Grace Memorial Public School, contacted HardwareStreet.com over the Internet and ordered more than $10,000 worth of computers on June 7 and June 14, 2000. When a police officer posing as a Federal Express delivery person arrived at the Laurelton address with one of the computers ordered, Crawford allegedly accepted delivery identifying himself as both Arnett Crawford and Anthony Forde and saying that the address was that of Grace Memorial Public School. A search warrant executed after the delivery found computers, software and other related equipment still in the boxes of PC Connections and HardwareStreet.com
Detective Kathleen Heavey of the Computer Investigation and Technology Unit of the New York City Police Department conducted the investigation under the supervision of Sgt. James Doyle and Assistant District Attorney Robert Alexander, Chief of the District Attorney’s newly formed Computer & Advanced Technology Crimes Bureau.
Assistant District Attorney Lourdes Ventura of District Attorney Brown’s Economic Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Brian Mich, will prosecute the case. Assistant District Attorney Michael Connelly of the District Attorney’s Civil Enforcement Bureau assisted in the case.
It is to be noted that a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.