Pennsylvania State Police. Photo by James Short.
Lower Salford officer reported the suspect threw fraudulent identification down a storm drain as police approached
A Philadelphia man is facing six charges, including felony forgery and identity theft, after Lower Salford Township Police said he attempted to open a bank account at Citadel Credit Union using a fraudulent New Jersey identification card and then tried to destroy the evidence by dropping the documents into a storm drain.
Theodore Marcus Kilgore, 28, was charged last month with forgery, identity theft, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, and misdemeanor counts of access device fraud, tampering with physical evidence and tampering with records, according to a criminal complaint.
Police were dispatched to the bank on Harleysville Pike around 12:55 p.m. on Nov. 26 after the branch manager reported a man attempting to open an account with what staff believed was a fraudulent ID.
Police located the man, later identified as Kilgore, speaking with a bank employee. When asked about his purpose at the branch, Kilgore claimed he was “talking to bank staff about cars and stuff like that,” the affidavit stated.
He told police his identification was in his vehicle. As officers walked with him toward the car, police allegedly saw Kilgore bend down near a storm drain as if he had tripped. Police later determined he had thrown a fraudulent New Jersey ID card and a fraudulent Social Security card down the drain, according to the complaint.
Township public works staff removed the grate and recovered both documents, which bore the name Anthony Lovell but displayed Kilgore’s photograph, police said.
Inside the bank, staff provided police with the signed account-opening documents under the name Anthony Lovell, per the complaint. According to the affidavit, Kilgore successfully opened the account and requested a cash-rewards MasterCard.
Officers noted the signatures on the paperwork matched the initials “A” and “L” from the false ID, police said. A Fifth Third Bank MasterCard belonging to the real Lovell was also recovered from Kilgore’s pocket during a search incident to arrest, police said.
A warrant check revealed Kilgore was wanted by Dover Police for fraud, and he was taken into custody.
Police said the Buick Regal he arrived in was registered to another person, a passenger in the car named Naijah Ransome, who was detained after officers observed additional bank documents in the driver-side door panel. Ransome, police said, later told police there was also a firearm in the vehicle.
Because Ransome's concealed-carry permit was revoked, police impounded the vehicle pending a search warrant, police said.
Kilgore is free on $10,000 unsecured bond and has a preliminary hearing set for Jan. 21 before Magisterial District Judge Adam Katzman.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
