STOUGHTON, Mass. — On the surface, a car break-in back in April in the parking lot of a Stoughton LA Fitness appeared to be a routine smash-and-grab. But police say surveillance video gave the first hint that this was part of something much bigger.
It showed four people involved in stealing a wallet out of a car. And now, Stoughton police say the suspects belong to a well-organized South American theft group.
"What this organization does is, they come in, they’ll find a place to sleep for the night, they’ll hit two or three areas, and then they’ll leave the state," Stoughton Police Lt. John Bonney said.
In the Stoughton case, the stolen credit card was used to buy $4,000 worth of electronic equipment at Best Buy in Brockton. The scam, police say, was also used in Westwood and Waltham on the same trip.
"Our group will go in, purchase high-end electronics with stolen credit cards and ship them back to a fencing organization," Bonney explained. "And they’ll filter the money back to South America."
Stoughton police heard from other departments around the country.
The suspects — Francisco Gabriel Sanchez Moreno, Catalina Danae Bohn Dinamarca, Camilo Enrique Medina Burgos and Victor Manuel Castro Donoso — were suspects were arrested in Tennessee and, for now, this alleged South American theft ring is on the sidelines.
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