Store employee arrested in gift-card fraud

A Macy's employee was arrested on Saturday and charged in the use of stolen credit cards to buy thousands of dollars in gift cards, Nassau police said.

Duke U. Obule, 19, of Cambria Heights, an employee at Macy's at the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, had worked with two other people to use fraudulently obtained credit-card numbers to purchase more than $14,000 in gift cards, police said.

The fraud occurred between Jan. 12 and April 20, police said.

Obule was arrested Saturday at 5:40 p.m. as a result of the investigation, which was conducted by the crimes against property squad and Macy's loss-prevention office.

Obule was charged with third-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying business records. At his arraignment on Sunday at First District Court in Hempstead, Obule was conditionally released to probation. He is due back in court on Wednesday.