Four Men Arrested for Identity Theft, Counterfeit Passports and Green Cards: Police

The Montgomery Township Police Department has announced the arrest of four men, in connection with an incident that occurred at AT&T Wireless on Bethlehem Pike on Tuesday afternoon.

According to the criminal complaint, police responded to the 900 block of Bethlehem Pike at 12:49 p.m. for a report of a suspicious male attempting to purchase devices and open fraudulent accounts. Upon arrival, police observed three males standing next to a dark-colored minivan in the vacant lot behind the store, and advised other responding units to make contact with them.

Once inside the store, police observed the suspect speaking to an employee, and made contact with the manager, who gave them a loss prevention bulletin—with the suspect’s image—regarding fraudulent accounts, the report states. Police then confronted the suspect, who was attempting to leave the store.

The suspect—identified as 38-year-old Jermaine Rivera, of Brooklyn, NY—stated that his girlfriend had dropped him off so he could get two new phones with zero money down, but the manager stated that Rivera had entered the store from the direction of the three men in the vacant lot, the report states. The manager also informed police that Rivera had attempted to open an account using a fraudulent U.S. Passport card, the report states.

Police then took Rivera into custody, and a search of his person uncovered the fake passport, an auto insurance card bearing the same name as the fake passport, and a small amount of drugs, including pills and suspected cocaine, the report states.

Meanwhile, police outside made contact with the three men standing outside of the minivan, and encountered a strong odor of marijuana, the report states. The three men—identified as Henri Traore, 37, of Philadelphia, Souleymane Bagayoko, 31, of New York City, and Mahblee Grant, 33, of Jamaica, NY—allegedly admitted that they just finished smoking marijuana, and that they had travelled from New York and no one else was with them, the report states. Police then searched the three men and vehicle, according to the report.

The search allegedly uncovered a fraudulent Green Card with Traore’s photograph, a fraudulent Green Card with Grant’s photograph, eight additional fraudulent Green Cards inside the vehicle—with three containing Rivera’s image—as well as stolen credit cards, documents in the names of other people, and a container with marijuana inside.

As a result of the investigation:

• Rivera has been charged with felony counts of forgery, identity theft, conspiracy to commit forgery and conspiracy to commit identity theft, as well as misdemeanor charges of theft, conspiracy to commit theft, possessing an instrument of crime, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Traore has been charged with felony counts of identity theft, conspiracy to commit forgery and conspiracy to commit identity theft, as well as misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to commit a theft, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of an instrument of crime.
• Bagayoko has been charged with felony counts of conspiracy to commit forgery, conspiracy to commit identity theft and conspiracy to commit a theft, as well as misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to commit a theft, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.
• Grant has been charged with felony counts of identity theft, forgery, conspiracy to commit identity theft, conspiracy to commit forgery and conspiracy to commit a theft, as well as misdemeanor charges of conspiracy to commit a theft, possession of an instrument of crime, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and receiving stolen property.

All four men were arraigned on May 21 by Magisterial District Judge Michael Quinn, who set bail at $25,000 cash for Rivera, $20,000 cash for Traore, $5,000 cash for Bagayoko and 10-percent of $20,000 cash for Grant. All four men were then remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post bail.

A preliminary hearing for Traore, Bagayoko and Grant is scheduled for May 30 at 9 a.m. in front of Judge Quinn. Rivera will have his preliminary hearing on the same day, but at 9:30 a.m.

(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.)  

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