JANESVILLE, Wis.–Police here are seeking help in identifying members of the so-called “Felony Lane Gang,” which has been robbing credit unions and other FIs in the area.
The gang, which is wanted by the FBI for alleged crimes across numerous states, is named for its practice of stealing identities and checkbooks and then attempting to cash bogus checks at drive-throughs.
According to Janesville Police, members of the group allegedly broke into a vehicle outside an athletic club and stole a purse.
The suspects attempted to cash a check at a credit union drive-thru in Delavan, Wis., police said. An alert teller delayed the transaction and the suspects drove away.
Police released three images related to the credit union incident showing two women inside a vehicle. A fourth image shows what appears to be a dark-colored SUV.
Police said detectives don't believe there were any other attempts to use the victim's ID, and the ID was confiscated at the credit union.
FBI Description
The FBI described the “Felony Lane Gang” as a group of organized burglary and identity theft rings originating in South Florida and operating in multiple jurisdictions throughout the U.S.
“These decentralized crews often operate independently, with a loose hierarchy mimicking the method of operations outlined here,” the FBI said. “The group utilizes rental vehicles with heavily-tinted windows to conduct surveillance in parking lots and steal identification documents (IDs), credit cards, and checkbooks from unattended vehicles. The majority of these burglaries occur at gyms, fitness centers, daycare facilities, and recreation areas where women would be more likely to leave their purses in their vehicles. FLG members then utilize the stolen checks and IDs to withdraw large sums of money at multiple banks before the victims have the opportunity to close their accounts.
Since the victims are almost always female, the FBI said the gang is known to recruit women, often prostitutes and drug users, from outside of the group to impersonate the victims. These women are known to successfully utilize disguises, such as wigs. The subjects will strategically choose the farthest window from the teller, in bank drive-thru lanes, to impersonate the customer while using a stolen ID.
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