5 Arrested in Counterfeit Check, Credit Card Ring

Five alleged members of a nationwide travelers check and credit card counterfeiting ring have been arrested and some of their loot--including cars, furs, television sets, jewelry, furniture, cash and Dom Perignon champagne--has been seized, sheriff’s deputies said Friday.

All five suspects were on parole for similar offenses, and one of them was receiving welfare checks, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.

Counterfeit checks and scores of bogus credit cards--at least 50 of which have been activated and used--were seized during raids Thursday at 15 locations in the county, according to George Mueller, an investigator with the district attorney’s office. He said some of the cards had credit lines up to $40,000.

“They go from store to store and [make purchases] all day long,” Mueller said. “They do it from the time the sun comes up and the stores open until the stores close at night.”

Mueller said that to avoid creating suspicion, the suspects usually made relatively small individual purchases. He said they kept much of their loot, but a great deal more had been resold.

Arrested Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud were Julius Anderson, 45, of North Hills; Maria King, 32, of Canoga Park; Avry Lyons, 43, of Los Angeles; Albert Marion, 52, of North Hills, and Jacqueline Marie Marshall, 44, of Los Angeles. Each was held in lieu of $1 million bail. Arraignment was scheduled for Monday.