Salt Lake City Detectives have cracked down on a
fairly lucrative and unique scam involving, of all things,
the city libraries. It seems two women used fake id's
to check out CD's, DVD's, and videos and then sold
them on the street for cash. News Specialist Jill
Atwood has the story.
The public library is designed to be accessible, open
and convenient to the public. In other words, it doesn't
take much to get a library card.
Police say 24-year-old Susie Oseguera and 25-year-old Kristine Borton
knew that and took advantage of the system.
WE'RE LOOKING AT A SERIOUS CASE
HERE OF FRAUD AND THEFT.
Since February of this year, police say the pair made
off with about ten thousand dollars worth of dvd's,
cd's and vhs tapes.
THEY BASICALLY CAME IN WITH
VARIATIONS OF SPELLING OF THEIR
NAMES TO TAKE OUT MULTIPLE LIBRARY
CARDS.
After they maxed out their cards at the main library,
employees say they moved on to other branch
libraries where they'd walk in, wait for workers to be
distracted, and then walk out with the goods.
PEOPLE OCCASIONALLY STEAL
MATERIALS, BUT TO HAVE PEOPLE
SYSTEMATICALLY AND DELIBERATELY DO
THIS AND THEN TO GO OUT AND MARKET
IT, THAT REALLY IS UNUSUAL AND
QUITE DISAPPOINTING.
Jill Atwood, Eyewitness News: POLICE SAY THE ITEMS WERE STOLEN
FOR PROFIT. MANY OF THEM ENDED UP
ON SALE OVER THE INTERNET. BUT MOST
OF THEM WERE SOLD TO LOCAL PAWN
SHOPS.
Laura Balfor with Premier Pawn says the shop may
have unknowingly accepted a few, but she personally
never did.
Laura Balfor: I REFUSED TO TAKE
THEM FROM HER, SAID THEY WERE STOLEN
FROM THE LIBRARY, PUSHED THEM BACK
AND HANDED THEM TO TO HER.
Balfor says she's been in the business long enough to
know what to look for, but she says unfortunately not
every pawn broker does.
Detectives are still recovering items, so at
this point library officials don't really know how much
was lost. They do say librarians will be more vigilant in
checking cards, and security will certainly be
tightened.
August 21, 2002
