Greenwich Detective Honored by U.S. Attorney

Solving the case of the credit card theft ring that preyed upon women attending daytime movie screenings has led to a Greenwich Police detective receiving recognition from the state's top prosecutor.

Det. Robert McKiernan was honored at the 18th annual United States Attorney’s
Office Law Enforcement Awards Ceremony held March 8 in New Haven by U.S. Attorney David Fein.

McKiernan was cited for his work with the Fairfield and Waterford Police departments and the FBI in cracking the credit card theft ring in which thieves crawled along the movie theater floor and pilfer the cards from the unsuspecting victims' purses placed on the floor.

McKiernan began his investigation in 2008 after a Greenwich resident’s credit card was stolen and $54,000 in charges were made against it in one day. McKiernan obtained video surveillance from the theater and from the fraudulent purchases and determined that the fraud was committed by one man and one woman. Eighteen months later, the same crime occurred. The video surveillance showed the same man but a different woman. After identifying the lead defendant and learning that the same crime under the same circumstances had occurred in 2010 in Waterford and in Fairfield, McKiernan contacted detectives in those departments to coordinate the investigation, according to Greenwich Police Chief James Heavey.

Heavey said McKiernan, 16-year veteran, "brought leadership in that group to coordinate with the FBI." Heavey said, "There was very limited information and the effort he made identifying several different suspects and with similar modous operandi…using video surveillance and basic old fashioned detective work."

According to Fein's office, the theft ring raked in between $50,000 and $75,000 each weekend by making fraudelent credit card transactions.

According to court documents and statements made in court, between 2008 and 2010, Anthony Johnson, of Philadelphia, operated a credit card fraud and identity theft scheme at movie theaters in Connecticut. As part of the scheme, Johnson targeted movies that he believed were geared toward women. Johnson and a female accomplice would then enter a theater and sit behind an intended victim. As the movie played, Johnson crawled on the floor and removed credit cards from a purse that a victim had placed on the floor of the theater.  Johnson then created false identification in each victim’s name, but with a photo of his female accomplice. He then used the stolen credit cards to make substantial unauthorized purchases and cash advances.

Heavey said the crew was linked to Philadelphia, Virginia, Nevada and Hawaii. "It was a long-term, high-money organized crime enterprise. They were making a lot of money over a long period of time,' Heavey said.

On Oct. 22, 2012, a jury found Johnson guilty of seven counts of unauthorized use of an access device and two counts of aggravated identity theft stemming from this scheme. He awaits sentencing.