http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/i...etting_po.html
They had the look and swagger of characters right out of "Ocean's Eleven." The team of thieves moved from city to city -- Las Vegas, Dallas, Beverly Hills -- sophisticates in designer suits and Rolex watches.
The Portland-based crew plotted its scores in strip joints such as Club 205 and cashed out proceeds at spots like Spirit Mountain Casino.
They were the new breed of quick-hit identity thieves known as "creepers," a team that sneaked into hundreds of offices and made off with checks, credit cards and personal information, which they turned into cash -- lots of it.
The man described by government prosecutors as the group's ringleader, Antione L. Lawrence, was sentenced today to eight years in prison and ordered to pay his victims more than $600,000 in restitution.
Lawrence's crew nicknamed him Tony Montana after the Al Pacino character in "Scarface." He even looked the part at his sentencing, wearing an impeccable suit and a bright blue shirt open at the collar.
Lawrence, 37, was the seventh member of the team to be sentenced in federal court -- nine were indicted -- with another 10 associates convicted in state courts.
From 2001 to 2007, they traveled from Indianapolis to Maui, Hawaii, targeting the offices of doctors, dentists, lawyers, accountants and insurance agents because they were more likely to keep petty cash, corporate credit cards or prescription drugs on hand.
In Oregon, they hit downtown Portland offices, crept through commercial buildings along Lake Oswego's Kruse Way and rifled through businesses in Tigard, Beaverton and Tualatin.
According to federal prosecutors, the team posted lookouts and communicated with two-way radios or prepaid cell phones. They picked locks or walked into offices at the end of work days, sometimes making off with master keys or employees' key cards They often struck on Friday nights, which gave them time to cash stolen checks on Saturdays, when the businesses were closed.
The thieves were so successful at avoiding detection, according to prosecutors, that several office cleaning crews were falsely accused of their misdeeds and lost their jobs.
The fruits of the team's crimes included pearls, antique watches, a gold tennis bracelet, computer and printer gear, guns and ammo, a flat-screen TV, collector stamps and sports gear autographed by Michael Jordan, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and the 1990 Portland Trail Blazers.
The crimes ought to be a cautionary tale for all office employees, said Dwight C. Holton, the U.S. attorney for Oregon. They should never keep personal information at work, unless it's in a safe, because crews like Lawrence's can find and exploit it.
Investigators proved that Lawrence's team made off with $688,623 -- but prosecutors said that's probably a fraction of the total take.
"The audacity is pretty remarkable," Holton said. "From Rolex watches to designer suits, this ring thought they were never going to be caught."
Lawrence and a co-defendant, Gregory Zimmerman, were caught in January 2006, when they booked a flight from Portland to Los Angeles and their luggage arrived before they did. A search of their bags revealed phony IDs and the materials to make them.
zimmerman.jpgMultnomah County Sheriff's OfficeGregory Zimmerman
Zimmerman, a graphic designer who traveled with the team and carried a sophisticated kit for making fake IDs, was freed while awaiting trial in Portland, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacie F. Beckerman. But he fled Portland and remains a fugitive.
Lawrence's lawyer, Laurie Shertz, tried to persuade U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman to keep her client out of jail until he was required to report to federal prison.
Shertz filed a court memo that downplayed her client's role as a leader of the team. It described Lawrence as the protege of the crew's real mastermind, Brad Maier, a thief who been his father figure since he was 8.
"At (Maier's) direction," Shertz wrote, "Mr. Lawrence learned to be a lookout, learned to pick locks, and to steal, then exchange merchandise. Mr. Maier trained Mr. Lawrence in the art of criminality. By the time he was old enough to appreciate the nature of his conduct, Mr. Lawrence was addicted to the easy money and lifestyle."
Maier was sentenced last fall to a little more than 3 years in prison for his role in the thefts.
At today's sentencing, Lawrence apologized to the judge and laid part of the blame for his problems on alcoholism. Hoping to avoid going straight to prison, he pointed out that he had gone months without drinking and attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Mosman agreed Lawrence had a drinking problem, but he didn't think Lawrence was suitable to allow free while he got his affairs in order. The judge ordered Lawrence into federal custody so he could be taken to prison.
Cmoney, is this true?
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