Merchandise worth between $15,000 and $20,000 was found in the local boy’s home, said Thurston County Deputy Prosecutor Wayne Graham at a probable cause hearing Thursday.
“This is not a small-scale operation by any stretch of the imagination,” he said.
Graham said 16 victims have been identified, but that there are more. “The victims will continue to mount,” he said.
The boy’s bail was set at $5,000 Thursday. If released, he is required to be monitored on house arrest and have no Internet access. The Olympian does not name juvenile defendants.
The boy was held under suspicion of identity theft and forgery, but has not been charged. Defense Attorney Martin Myer said he would plead not guilty if charged.
Myer argued for the boy to be released on his own recognizance and to be monitored by his parents, saying the high-school senior has committed no prior offenses.
Olympia Police Det. Sgt. Dan Smith said the boy was arrested Wednesday afternoon, and police later found the stolen merchandise in a space under the house. His crimes took place between Oct. 10 and Nov. 9, and the known crimes include only customers of local credit unions, Smith said.
Detectives received information from the Washington State Employees Credit Union a few weeks ago that members were filing claims for fraudulent use of credit cards, but they hadn’t lost their card, he said.
The common link: all the cards had been used at the McDonald’s at 715 Plum St. S.E. After police approached McDonald’s management, they discovered that the suspect had been working every time the credit card was used at McDonald’s.
Smith said the suspect would first swipe the card to pay for the McDonald’s transaction at the drive-through, then secretly swipe the card on his own skimming device to steal the credit card number.
Police say the boy allegedly used the stolen numbers to buy gift cards, which were used to buy thousands of dollars worth of expensive electronics at Walmart and Toys R Us stores in Thurston and Pierce counties. The suspect was seen on video buying the items.
Police searched the suspect’s home and found several thousand dollars worth of merchandise, including digital cameras, iPads, computers and gaming systems. Skimming machines were also discovered.
The suspect admitted to selling the stolen items on Craigslist, police say.
Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869 mbatcheldor@theolympian.com
