Trio face charges for stolen phones, identity theft

BOARDMAN — Three people from New York were arrested by township police for purportedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of items from an AT&T store, and attempting to use other people's identities to open AT&T accounts.

Charged with felony identity theft and felony theft are Hillary Hamilton and Carolina Vessup, both 22 and from the Bronx. Additionally, a man whose identity police were attempting to confirm at the time of the report on Friday is charged with felony complicity to theft.

Police were called to the AT&T store at 650 Boardman-Poland Road about 7 p.m. Friday, where employees reported that two women had just tried to open an account using another person's name. That transaction was denied, as was a similar one attempted the previous day by a male suspect, according to a police report.

Police almost immediately tracked down the suspects, stopping them at a Boardman-Canfield Road gas station.

After Vessup and Hamilton were identified as the suspects from Friday's incident, police found $3,359 worth of stolen iPhones in their vehicle. The phones reportedly were stolen from the Tiffany South AT&T store, and a store in Hermitage, Pa.

The suspects were taken to the Mahoning County jail and are scheduled to appear in Mahoning County Area Court here Tuesday.