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Carl Francois, age 56, of West Babylon, was arraigned in Suffolk County Court on Wednesday, March 29, on 40 criminal charges, including 31 counts of possessing stolen property.
According to prosecutors, Francois was seen on video surveillance stealing 29 credit cards from the lockers of 13 victims at two different LA Fitness locations in Suffolk County. The alleged thefts occurred over a five-week period in January and February 2023.
Francois later used the stolen credit cards to rack up charges at several stores, including Target, Home Depot, and Best Buy, where he bought gaming consoles, laptops, and power tools, prosecutors said.
He was arrested on Feb. 22 following an investigation by Suffolk County Police.
“Getting out to the gym is tough without having to worry about someone taking your credit cards to go on a shopping spree,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement.
“The unsuspecting victims of these crimes assumed their valuables were safe, but they weren’t. As this indictment demonstrates, we treat these crimes seriously in Suffolk County.”
Francois is charged with the following:
- Eight counts of fourth-degree grand larceny (felony)
- 31 counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property (felony)
- One count of petit larceny (misdemeanor)
A judge ordered him held on $100,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear back in court on Wednesday, May 10.
If convicted on all charges, he could be sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison.
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