A man who used counterfeit credit cards to buy Apple iPads at local stores pleaded guilty to a felony charge in Albany County Court on Tuesday, Jan. 17, according to information from Albany County District Attorney David Soares’ office.
Michael Griffin, 21, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, a felony, and is expected to be sentenced to up to two to six years in state prison when sentenced in March, according to information from Soares’ office.
On Sept. 21, 2011, Griffin possessed and used two fraudulent credit cards in the Town of Colonie while buying iPads at Target and other local stores and upon investigation by the Colonie Police Department, Griffin was found to have 17 different credit cards in his possession that all had his name on them but account numbers that didn’t belong to him, according to information from Soares’ office.
“Advances in technology have brought us to a place where a criminal can create fake credit cards with active bank account numbers attached. I urge all local retailers to be aware of these counterfeit credit cards and to report any suspicious activity immediately to law enforcement,” said Soares in a statement.
