New York trio arrested for stolen phones, identity theft

Staff report

BOARDMAN

Three people from New York were arrested by township police, accused of 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 will face a charge of 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 tracked down the suspects almost immediately, 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 today.