A Florida man who allegedly stole the identities of more than a dozen members of the Merck Sharp and Dohme Federal Credit Union waived his preliminary hearing on Tuesday.
Junior Rafael Ordonez-Funez, 20, was scheduled for his preliminary hearing on Monday afternoon, but decided to waive the hearing at Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine’s court. Ordonez-Funez’s attorney attempted to have bail lowered from the original $100,000 cash to between $25,000 and $50,000, stating that the thefts and attempted losses were not significant enough to justify the six-figure cash bail.
Judge Levine denied the request, citing the time it takes the victims to get things back in order, including getting new cards. He added that it’s a hassle and stressful to have to contact credit and debit card companies.
“It’s wrong,” said Levine, adding that a family member suffered a similar experience. “It needs to stop. It’s taking advantage of innocent people who are working hard.”
The next step in Ordonez-Funez’s case is formal arraignment at the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, which has been set for Dec. 12, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. at the courthouse in Norristown. In the interim, Ordonez-Funez is being held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of $100,000 cash bail.
Ordonez-Funez was arrested in September after he allegedly used phone spoofing software to help obtain personal information from members of the Merck Sharp and Dohme Federal Credit Union. He then allegedly used that information to create cloned credit and debit cards, which were then used to make purchases and withdraws throughout the area. Nearly all of these purchases took place at CVS Pharmacies located in the North Penn area.
He was charged with 303 felonies, including multiple counts of identity theft, criminal conspiracy to commit theft, dealing in proceeds of unlawful acts, theft by unlawful taking, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, access device fraud, criminal use of a communication facility and others.
Ordonez-Funez was also charged with 122 misdemeanors, including receiving stolen property, unlawful device-making equipment, possessing an instrument of crime and more.
14 victims suffered a loss totaling $6,835.33. Another $6,664.37 was attempted to be taken out of their accounts but failed.
In addition to the 14 victims, seven people filed complaints with local police, stating that they had been targeted for “spoofed” phone calls, but they did not give up their personal information.
(Editor's note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)
See also:
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Lansdale Police Release New Image of Female Fraud Suspect
Accused Killer Captured by Montgomery Township Police
Lansdale Man Allegedly Recorded Women in Century Plaza Bathroom
Phone Spoofing Used to Steal Identities from Local Credit Union
