Suspect in theft ring facing 46 charges after arrest in LR

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

A Little Rock judge set bail for a theft suspect at $500,000 after investigators said they had connected him to a property and identity-theft ring based in Florida.

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Whisley Geffard, 32, of 2223 Battery St., was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with two felony counts of theft of property, three counts of breaking and entering an automobile and 41 misdemeanor counts of theft by receiving.

An arrest report on Geffard said he is a member of a criminal group known as the "Felony Lane Gang," which originated in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and has been active throughout the country, according to federal prosecutors.

The group goes after checkbooks, driver's licenses and other identification to cash checks in victims' names, according to Scarlett Nokes, assistant U.S. attorney in Tennessee's Middle District. Nokes said the gang typically uses the far lane in a bank's drive-up window, one that has been dubbed the "felony" lane.

Nokes said the "gang" doesn't fit the model of most street gangs and seems to be more of a sophisticated theft ring networking across state lines.

Geffard's arrest came after a patrol officer spotted a black Mercedes rental car about 9:45 a.m. parked in a handicap spot at the Wingate Hotel at 1212 S. Shackleford.

A Little Rock detective had already identified the vehicle as the car involved in several stolen-check reports, and more officers arrived to investigate.

At one point in the morning, the driver tried to leave the lot, but when he spotted a police car, he backed up. The car was found by another officer in the middle of the hotel driveway, and Geffard was in the back seat.

A search of Geffard's hotel room turned up several stolen credit cards, gift cards and stolen checks, reports said.

After showing a Florida driver's license belonging to someone else, Geffard eventually gave his true name and officers discovered that he was wanted in Florida on two felony warrants.

Little Rock police officials declined to comment on how they had connected Geffard to a theft ring that has gained notoriety throughout the country, nor did they say whether Geffard's arrest was isolated or whether the gang was operating in the Little Rock area.

Geffard's arrest report states he is charged with stealing two rental vehicles and never returning them, which Nokes said is common for members of the theft ring.

Nokes, who successfully prosecuted five members of the gang last year, said members use stolen vehicles and target "gyms, parks, day-care centers and events frequented by women likely to leave purses in vehicles. They set up surveillance at those locations and [break in]."

According to Nokes, the theft is the first step in a two-pronged approach.

"They also recruit females who are prostitutes or [drug addicts] to cash the checks stolen from other women," Nokes said. "They travel with them. Give them wigs and try to create a similar appearance. ... And they typically use the farthest lane to create some distance between them and the teller."

In March, a federal court in central Pennsylvania sentenced Florida native Travis Russ to 188 months in prison after he was found to be the leader of the outfit for about five years and was responsible for defrauding more than 250 victims.

Arrests of other "Felony Lane" members have occurred in Louisiana, Texas and other states.

Little Rock FBI officials declined to comment on the group's activity in Little Rock, and calls to investigators were not returned.

According to Little Rock police spokesman Lt. Sidney Allen, Geffard's case is "an ongoing investigation."

Metro on 06/11/2014