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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted at 11:58 p.m., Monday, June 9, 2008

Man accused of Honolulu credit card scam

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Ronald Morgan, also known as Troy D. Glenn.

Courtesy of Honolulu Police Department

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Prosecutors yesterday charged a 20-year-old man in connection with a fraudulent scheme to purchase over $18,000 worth of electronic equipment using a worthless credit card.

The suspect was charged at 1:40 p.m. as Troy D. Glenn, based on a Pennsylvania driver's license presented to police when he was arrested Saturday, but authorities have since determined his identity to be Ronald Morgan.

Police said Morgan was using identification of another person, had an out-of-state license of another person and credit card in the name oif another person.

Morgan is accused of first-degree theft, five counts of identity theft, two counts of second-degree forgery, fraudulent use of a credit card, and unauthorized possession of confidential personal information. He was being held overnight at the main police station cellblock in lieu of $75,000 bail and has an initial appearance scheduled tomorrow in District Court.

According to a charging document filed yesterday at District Court, Morgan allegedly used a Wal-Mart Visa debit card to purchase two 1.8 GHz MacBook Air computers valued at $3,098 each and two 16 GB touch-screen iPods worth $399 each at the Apple Store in Kahala Mall Saturday. Police were called while he was still in the store when the card activated a security alert issued by the company's national loss prevention officials.

Steve Perry, western regional loss prevention manager of Apple Stores, informed Green Dot Corp., the financial group that handles Wal-Mart's debit account, on Friday that the debit account of Troy Glenn had been revoked, the affidavit said. Perry also sent out e-mail alerts Friday to stores on the fraudulent card.

Green Dot Corp. officials confirmed no funds had ever been loaded onto the card, the affidavit said.

Police said Kahala store personnel initially ran a check on the credit card but were unsuccessful in contacting Morgan's bank. Morgan then used his cellular phone to call his bank and allowed the clerk to speak with someone who provided an authorization code. The clerk never actually saw what number Morgan dialed on the phone, police said, but kept Morgan in the store after receiving the alert.

The same card was allegedly used Friday to purchase $7,845 worth of items from the Ala Moana Apple Store.

A police criminal highlight on the arrest stated Morgan allegedly purchased equipment at a third local store which was not named in the court affidavit and the total value of items involved exceeded $30,000.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.