Police: Uniondale man arrested in theft of cellphone, puppy
Victor X. Franco, 23, of Uniondale, was arrested on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017, and charged with grand larceny, identity theft and possession of a forged instrument, accused of using fake credit cards in two stores in Uniondale and Merrick in August and November 2016, Nassau County police said. Credit: NCPD
A Uniondale man has been arrested and charged with the theft last year of a cellphone and a puppy, Nassau County police said.
Victor X. Franco, 23, of Liberty Street, faces arraignment Wednesday in First District Court in Hempstead, after being arrested Tuesday and charged with third-degree grand larceny, first-degree identity theft and four counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument.
The thefts took place in August and November and involved the fraudulent purchase of a cellphone and a puppy dog, police said.
Police said that on Aug. 15, Franco entered Alicia MultiServices on Jerusalem Avenue in Uniondale and bought a cellphone for $243 using a fraudulent credit card. Then on Nov. 20, police said, Franco went to The Puppy Store on Merrick Avenue in Merrick and bought a dog for $3,592.21 — also using a fraudulent credit card. In both instances, police said, Franco also displayed a fraudulent driver’s license.
It was not immediately clear what type of dog Franco purchased. It also was not immediately clear how investigators linked the two crimes to Franco, leading to the arrest.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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