Felony Lane Gang Members Arrested in Towamencin Following Incident at Citizens Bank: Police

Keith Heffintrayer•

From left to right: Leonard Cromer, 27, of Fort Lauderdale, FL, Karen Mastalski, 39, of Philadelphia, and Xavier Eason, unknown age, of Fort Lauderdal

A trio of suspected Felony Lane Gang members are facing numerous felony and misdemeanor charges after they allegedly attempted to cash fraudulent checks at a bank in Towamencin Township.

According to the criminal complaint, police were dispatched to the Citizens Bank located along the 700 block of South Valley Forge Road at 2:36 p.m. on Dec. 20 for a report of suspicious activity in the drive-through. A bank employee notified dispatch that there was a woman in the drive-through that was attempting to cash a check using fraudulent identification, and added that the woman had already withdrawn $1,000 in a previous transaction prior to returning.

Upon arrival, police observed the vehicle still located in the drive-through lane. As police approached the vehicle, two males—later identified as Leonard Cromer, 27, and Xavier Eason, unknown age, both of Fort Lauderdale, FL—exited the rear driver’s side door and fled the scene on foot, the report states.

The driver, identified as 39-year-old Karen Mastalski, of Philadelphia, remained in the vehicle and was taken into custody without incident, police said. After a 10-minute foot pursuit, both Cromer and Eason were also taken into custody, the report states.

A search of the suspects revealed that Mastalski was wearing a black-and-blonde wig, Eason was in possession of $4,592 in cash and Cromer was found in possession of cash inside of a black Gucci wallet, the report states. The vehicle was then impounded pending a search warrant application, according to the report.

After police received approval to search the vehicle, they learned that the vehicle was registered to the parent company of Avis Car Rental, but was bearing a license plate that had been stolen from a vehicle in Montgomery Township two hours prior to the incident, the report states.

Investigators also learned that the driver’s license and debit card allegedly used by Mastalski for both transactions belonged to a woman who reported them stolen in Limerick Township on Dec. 18. In that incident, the victim stated that her debit card and identification were stolen while her vehicle was parked at a daycare facility, according to the complaint.

Both checks were made payable to the victim’s name, police said. The first check, which was successfully cashed, had a married couple listed as the payor, and the second check, which was refused, had a woman listed as the payor, according to the report.

As a result of the incident and investigation:

Mastalski has been charged with felony counts of dealing in unlawful proceeds, conspiracy to deal in unlawful proceeds, forgery, attempted forgery and access device fraud, along with misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property, theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking and identity theft.
Eason has been charged with felony counts of dealing in unlawful proceeds, conspiracy to deal in unlawful proceeds, forgery, escape, attempted forgery and access device fraud, along with misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property, theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking and identity theft.
Cromer has been charged with felony counts of dealing in unlawful proceeds, conspiracy to deal in unlawful proceeds, forgery, escape, attempted forgery and access device fraud, along with misdemeanor counts of receiving stolen property, theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking and identity theft.

All three suspects were arraigned on Dec. 20 by Magisterial District Judge Paul Leo, who set bail at $100,000 cash each for Cromer and Eason, and $50,000 cash for Mastalski. All three were then remanded to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility after failing to post bail, and their next court appearance is a series of preliminary hearings on Jan. 10 in front of Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine.

The complaint states that the bank employee and investigators recognized the activity as indicative of the Felony Lane Gang. The complaint states, in part:

"Felony Lane Gang is a group of individuals based out of Florida that travel throughout the United States stealing identities, credit cards and checkbooks from unattended cars in a ‘smash and grab’ style. With the stolen checkbooks, credit/debit cards and identifications, the group cashes checks using the farthest drive-through lane of the bank because it is the farthest from the teller and cameras. This occurs because of the ease in which false identities can be used while cashing checks.”

The Felony Lane gang arrests come roughly one month after Hatfield Township Police announced the arrest of a Florida woman who is suspected of being a Felony Lane Gang member, and one year after the Upper Gwynedd Township Police Department put out a public release warning of increased Felony Lane Gang activity in the area.

(Editor’s note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause, and reflects the point of view of the police. 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.)