3 people arrested in connection with credit card fraud, identity theft in Brooklyn Center

Three people are in custody after several agencies served search warrants on three homes on Tuesday.

The Brooklyn Center Police Department (BCPD) was assisted in the search by law enforcement agencies in St. Louis Park, Golden Valley, Hennepin County, Brooklyn Park and Rosemount for an investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Financial Crimes Task Force into an identity theft and credit card fraud scheme.

A Facebook post from BCPD said that BCA investigators discovered a group of people who had been working to defraud people and steal identities by using “manufactured identification and credit cards.”

Police say hundreds of thousands of dollars in goods — including ATVs, jewelry, clothing, furniture, a Polaris Slingshot and even rent for an apartment — had been fraudulently purchased through the scheme.

Three people are currently in custody facing several felony charges, according to Commander Tony Gruenig of the BCPD. Additional arrests and charges are expected as the investigation continues, Gruenig added.

One of the people who was arrested has an extensive criminal history and four active felony warrants that include weapons charges.

The Facebook post added, “It is believed that a large number of victims and businesses are either not aware they have been victimized, or are aware and have not contacted law enforcement. Please review your March 2023 – October 2023 credit card statements for fraudulent charges related to businesses you have not visited or purchases you did not make in addition to any unusual credit report activity that has occurred. If you believe that you are a victim of this group, please contact your local law enforcement agency via 911, state to the dispatcher that your call is not an emergency and ask to speak with a police officer.”

Read the full statement posted to Facebook from BCPD below.