Police: Man who blamed Worth Avenue purchases on stolen credit card was shopper all along

Stubbs & Wootton. Saks Fifth Avenue. David Yurman.

These Worth Avenue retailers were caught up in a Delray Beach man's scheme to defraud his credit card company by claiming that his card was stolen and used without his permission, Palm Beach Police say.

The 29-year-old man's March 18 arrest followed an investigation by police after the department received a complaint Feb. 28 about possible fraud from American Express, an arrest report said.

American Express Global Security's regional manager told police that the man contacted the company Feb. 5 and said he had lost his American Express card. He had told American Express that 26 fraudulent transactions were made using his card from Jan. 7-22. The company accepted the fraud claim and credited the full amount of the 26 charges to the man's account.

As security reviewed the claim, the regional manager found that the man had made several previous fraud claims with American Express, the report said. When the regional manager contacted the man, he was adamant that he did not make the charges and did not give his card to anyone to use. Yet, the man had not completed a police report for any of the claims, the arrest report said.

The security regional manager told the man that she was referring the fraud claims to police for review. Most of the fraudulent transactions were made in Palm Beach County, the report said.

Police found that three of the 26 disputed charges were in town.

The first Palm Beach purchase was made Jan. 11 at Saks Fifth Avenue on Worth Avenue for $4,595.85, the report said. According to records reviewed by police, the purchase included a fitting or alteration to be picked up Jan. 13.

The second purchase was made Jan. 13 at Stubbs & Wootton for $1,310.75, the report said. The person who made that purchase provided an email in the man's name at the time of purchase, police said.

The third purchase was made later that day at David Yurman for $5,564, police said.

A black 2019 Maserati SUV in the man's name was detected by the town's surveillance cameras driving west on Worth Avenue Jan. 11 near Saks Fifth Avenue, the report said. The disputed charge at Saks was made about two hours later. Soon after, the town's cameras captured the man's Maserati leaving town via the Royal Park Bridge, the arrest report said.

The same black Maserati SUV was then picked up by a town camera traveling north toward Worth Avenue, police said. Minutes later, cameras spotted the SUV traveling west on Worth Avenue near Stubbs & Wootton and David Yurman, the report said. A few minutes after that, the purchase was completed using the man's American Express card at Stubbs & Wootton.

Then, a town camera recorded a person later identified as the Delray Beach man walking east toward David Yurman, carrying a dark Stubbs & Wootton bag, the report said. The purchase at David Yurman was completed about 15 minutes later.

The town's cameras recorded the man leaving David Yurman and walking back toward Stubbs & Wootton, carrying bags for both stores, police said, and was on his way across the Royal Park Bridge a few minutes later.

The man told a police detective that he did not know who used his American Express card. He also said he had lost his wallet in November, had replaced all of his cards and kept his cards "loose," saying the American Express card must have been misplaced as a result.

On March 12, employees from Saks Fifth Avenue and David Yurman who assisted the person who made the disputed transactions chose the man's photo out of a lineup, police said.

The David Yurman employee also told police that she remembered the man from his two visits to the store, and she remembered what he bought.

When Palm Beach's license plate cameras captured the man's Maserati heading into town at the Southern Boulevard bridge on March 18, officers stopped him and arrested him, the report said.

The man was released March 19 on $10,000 bond, court records show. He faces charges of grand theft of more than $10,000 and less than $20,000 and grand theft of more than $750 and less than $5,000.

Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach police: Man said credit card was stolen; he was the shopper