GLENMONT— State Police arrested a Troy man for check fraud at multiple locations in the Capital District on Monday, Dec. 9.
Terrance M. Lee, 35, was arrested on warrants for four open investigations in which he allegedly possessed fraudulent checks and deposited them at multiple financial institutions in Glenmont, Watervliet, Cohoes, and Brunswick on Sept. 14.
His reported crimes resulted in the theft of more than $4,000.
Lee was charged with four counts of possession of a forged instrument in the second degree and two counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree, all felonies, as well as two counts of petit larceny, both misdemeanors.
Lee was transported to the State Police barracks in Brunswick and processed on all charges. He was arraigned for the Brunswick charges at the Brunswick Town Court, which remanded him to the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility in lieu of $50,000 cash bail or a $100,000 partially secured bond.
The next day, after being released on bail, Lee was transported and arraigned at Cohoes City Court for the remaining Albany County charges.
He was released under the supervision of the Rensselaer County Probation Department.
Lee was then turned over to the Troy Police Department for pending unrelated charges.
‘Clipping Triplet’ ring member back for warrant, new incidents linked
DELMAR— One of the Albany women associated with the “Clipping Triplets” appeared in Bethlehem Town Court on Tuesday, Dec. 3, for an outstanding bench warrant after failing to appear in court.
Jonneasia A. Welcome, 21, of Albany, was supposed to return to court in September 2023 but failed to do so. At the time of her release in 2023, she was in custody at the Saratoga County jail. In August, Spotlight News located her in the Onondaga County jail on other charges.
Welcome was processed and arraigned on the warrant, and the case was transferred to Albany County Court for further action. She was sent back to the Onondaga County jail.
In April 2023, Welcome was one of three people charged with stealing $2,411.96 worth of merchandise from Lowe’s on Route 9W in Glenmont. Welcome, along with Myunique McQueen, 21, and Winter Vandross, 19, were identified through surveillance footage.
The trio has been linked to a larger theft ring responsible for stealing more than $148,000 worth of merchandise from retailers in the Capital Region and beyond, including Ulta Beauty, Macy’s, Home Depot, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Lowe’s. Much of the stolen merchandise was allegedly sold online through platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist.
A Spotlight News investigation in October 2023 identified additional ring members, including Zamaria Williams, 22, Desiree Fowler, 22, Kamal Pickens, 33, Halasha Maeweather, 20, and Yavae Bennett, 21. Local police have arrested these suspects on hundreds of charges, and courts have issued at least 70 warrants for their failure to appear in court over the last three years.
Ring expands into Massachusetts
The ring’s activities extend into Massachusetts. On Monday, March 27, 2023, Welcome, Rayquan Carter, 22, of Albany, and two juveniles were arrested in Pittsfield, Mass., after thefts from the Ulta Beauty store at Berkshire Crossing Mall.
The four suspects were reportedly in possession of 39 bottles of perfume and cologne worth $5,145. Carter was charged with organized retail crime, receiving stolen property over $1,200, and possession of an open container of marijuana in a motor vehicle. Welcome and the two juveniles were charged with organized retail crime and larceny over $1,200. All four were released on personal recognizance but failed to appear in court the following day.
According to the Berkshire District Attorney’s Office, over $37,000 worth of products were stolen from the same Ulta Beauty store in four separate incidents in March 2023.
Status of members
As of Sunday, Dec. 8, Pickens is in custody at the Ulster County jail on unrelated charges, while Welcome remains in the Onondaga County jail.
McQueen, Vandross, and Williams have been in custody at the Albany County jail since their indictment on Oct. 2, 2023, with their release revoked a week later. The Albany County District Attorney’s Office offered the three plea deals of four to 12 years, with a deadline of Nov. 22, 2023, though it is unclear if the deals were accepted.
Carter was arrested in November 2023 by Pittsfield police after being extradited from Albany County for an outstanding warrant.
Felony DWI on Northway
COLONIE – On Wednesday, Dec. 11, at approximately 9:24 p.m., State Police assigned to the Latham Interstate Patrol responded to a report of a two-car crash on the Northway in Colonie.
According to police, the investigation revealed that Emmanuel Rosario Echevarria, 30, of Clifton Park, had rear-ended another vehicle. Rosario Echevarria denied injuries and was arrested for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and a Vehicle and Traffic Law violation.
He was transported to the State Police barracks in Latham for processing, where he recorded a blood alcohol content of 0.16%. Further investigation revealed that Rosario Echevarria had a prior DWI conviction within the last ten years, elevating this offense to a felony.
Rosario Echevarria was charged with felony DWI and issued tickets returnable to the Colonie Town Court on Monday, Dec. 30. He was released pending his court appearance.
