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Saks Crime Ring Taken Down

By: Oct. 07, 2014
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Photo by John Aquino via WWD

WWD has reported more details about the identity-theft ring involving five Saks Fifth Avenue employees. Monday morning, the Manhattan District Attorny Cyrus Vance Jr. indicted Tamara Williams, 36; Kriss Rockson, 45; Jason Chance, 25; Alaia Harrison, 20, and Michael Knight-Williams, 44. All but Williams were associates at Saks' flagship Fifth Avenue location and used stolen customer information to purchase over $400,000 worth of designer items between April and August of this year.

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Vance announced the indictments at a press confrence standing behind a table filled with seized shoes and handbags from luxury labels like Chanel, Gucci, Valentino, Balmain, Christian Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Giuseppe Zanotti, and Givenchy. Vance commented that this "a group of individuals who were obviously focused on high-value objects to receive high-value returns on the black market."

Vance added, "The identity-theft ring that has been working here would not have been possible without the help of insiders at Saks. This is the point we wish to convey. Time after time, we have seen that insiders at companies enable theft to occur."

The actions Williams is accused of is providing personal identifying information like social security number of more than 30 Saks credit card holders. Then the sales associates allegedly would purchase an item and pass them to a group of shopper impersonators, who would hand them to Williams at several locations all over the city and neighboring boroughs. It was then resold, or returned to the store for gift cards, which were then resold or used as payment for the shoppers. Authorities report that there were 91 such fraudulent transactions.


The five accused were charged in a 66-count indictment including grand larceny, attempted grand larceny, scheme to defraud, identity theft, attempted identity theft, criminal possession of stolen property and unlawful possession of personal identification information.







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