REIDSVILLE, N.C. – Police are looking for two suspects, accused of breaking and entering a car at the Reidsville YMCA. They believe the two are involved with the Felony Lane Gang.
Investigators got warrants for both Enrico Nelson, Jr. of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Montague Jackson, Jr., of Dania, Florida. The Felony Lane Gang, as it’s called, is known for traveling across the country – especially up the east coast. While investigators say it originated in Florida – it’s not so much a group as it is a criminal tactic.
Here’s what these criminals will normally do, according to detectives:
A small group of people will rent a car, and drive up to a crowded – often unsupervised parking lot. Places like busy parks and apartment complexes are often targets. Then, going from car to car, the perpetrators will look for purses sitting in plain view, or in unlocked cars. From there, they’re seeking out identification, personal checks, and a social security card.
Detective Michael Giroux of the Burlington Police Department explains what happens next.
“If they broke into both of our cars, they may take your checkbook, and take my checkbook and see that I bank at Bank X,” he said, “And they’re going to write a check from your checkbook to me or to my wife, and then they will use my ID to go to that bank and cash that check.”
But why is this tactic called the Felony Lane Gang?
“The reason that they call that the ‘Felony Lane Gang’ is because they use the farthest drive-through teller at the bank. So that has been known as the felony lane as a result of this whole enterprise,” he said.
He says in that lane – the teller will have a harder time identifying the driver of the vehicle. Investigators say often, a female will change her appearance to match that on the I.D. the group is using to commit fraud – that way, at a distance, the teller may believe that the person cashing the check is legitimate.
It’s a complex crime – often difficult to link – as the culprits will commit the crime in one area, and then move to another area to commit fraud at the bank. Detective Giroux says the knowledge of this crime – plus a more thorough national database is helping fill gaps and connect a vehicle break in where checks are stolen – with check fraud.
“If we have a car that is broken into, and checks are stolen, I could put the routing number and account number into the national database, that way when, say, Murfreesboro, Tennessee has a check fraud - they can run those routing and account numbers and potentially link them back to our case,” he said.
Detective Giroux recommends keeping financial information out of cars and purses out of sight. He says, the Felony Lane Gang is less likely to break in your car if they don’t think you have what they want – checks, I.D. and a social security card
