A Philadelphia man already accused in an identity theft case at Palmer Park Mall that caused an officer to break his big toe during a foot chase faces additional charges of allegedly buying more than $13,000 in jewelry with a stolen identity.
The Palmer mall chase Tuesday night was prompted by calls from Freeman Jewelers that Geffrey Desir, 27, was trying to buy a “Gent’s Ring” valued at almost $7,500 with a stolen credit card and identification, court records say.
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Additional charges against Desir were filed Thursday. They detail how he allegedly bought more than $13,000 in jewelry, apparently from Littman Jewelers, also using a stolen identity.
Littman has a store in Palmer mall, but Desir apparently bought the Littman items at the Lehigh Valley Mall store in Whitehall Township, the records indicate.
The charges say Desir opened the account at Littman’s Lehigh Valley Mall store “with a false identity.” In Tuesday’s incident at Freeman’s, Desir asked to apply for credit using a New York state driver’s license and a pre-paid American Express card that had another man’s name on them, the records say.
The Littman items included a 1.5-carat diamond ring valued at $4,595 and a Gucci “G” watch valued at $4,395, the records say.
Palmer police Det. James Alercia wrote in a criminal complaint that after being dispatched to Palmer mall on Tuesday, police contacted the person whose name Desir allegedly used to open the Littman account.
The man said he had been previously notified by Littman’s credit service “in reference to his identity being stolen” so that the suspect could “make large purchases at surrounding Littman stores,” the complaint says.
In the Freeman incident, the identity theft victim actually called the store and told an employee that similar incidents have happened three times before and that a freeze had been placed on his account to stop more fraudulent purchases.
Those details are contained in an arrest affidavit filed in the Freeman’s case
In the Littman case, police used an approved search warrant to look inside the vehicle Desir allegedly was operating during the Palmer mall incident—a gold 1999 Ford Windstar minivan with New York license plates.
Police found a Littman bag containing a Gucci jewelry box with a Movado Luno watch inside, the records said. The watch was valued at $995.
A receipt inside the bag allegedly showed a purchase of $4,395 had been made at Littman’s Lehigh Valley Mall store for a Gucci “G” watch.
Further interviews with Littman management revealed that Desir allegedly made a purchase on May 12, according to the complaint. Where the purchase was made was not specified.
The complaint said Desir also bought a two-tone railroad bracelet valued at $3,195. The “total retail value of the stolen property under false identity” was $13,180, the complaint said.
Desir, who lives at 6003 Horrocks St. in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, was charged in the Littman case with receiving stolen property, a level-three felony.
He was arraigned Thursday afternoon by District Judge Jackie Taschner of Palmer Township and committed to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail.
That is in addition to the $100,000 bail he faces in Tuesday night’s chase. In that case, he was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest and four felony counts of identity theft, unauthorized use of a credit card, forgery and disorderly conduct.
