An identity theft ring was busted in Brown Deer, Wisconsin after being caught on surveillance video at a Kohl's store. The ring, based out of Detroit, had stolen over $20,000 worth of merchandise through a sophisticated scheme of obtaining credit reports, guessing security questions, and applying for credit cards. Their activities were observed by the Kohl's loss prevention supervisor, who notified police. A multi-agency investigation uncovered that the ring had been operating for 25 years and had stolen over $300,000 through credit, leasing vehicles, and fencing stolen goods. Ringleader Verita Hines-Flagg was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

1. Print Story
B2 . C6 SWEEPS ID CONTACT 6 HOLD WITI 2OT4
THEFT PKG
TAKE PKG
OUTCUE:"...Gontact 6."
DURATION:3:45
G : L30 : 00/0 : 06//CONTACT
6/"GO|NG TO
WORK''/IDENTITY
THIEVES BUSTED IN
BROWN DEER
V:C6 lD Theft pkg
G : L31
=021
1: 1 O//CONTACT
6/Karine Moreno-
Taxman/ASSISTANT
U.S. ATTORNEY
G :L32=27 I 2:30 I I CO N TA CT
6/Mark Rooney/BROWN
DEER POLICE
G: L33: 151321 g//CONTACT
6/Lau ren
Doberstein/FORMER
KOHL'S EMPLOYEE
G : L33 : 27 I 3:37 l/CO NTACT
6/Katrina
Gravy/FOXGNOW.COM
{***sToP PKG***}
{***O.C..
rr ...Gontact 6," 3:45 'r**}
Page 1 of8
B2
htþ://10.1I4.16.50lexternal/print_stories.php?sid:1712154&uid:1029&np:view&t=141..' 1012612014
OCTOBER 4TH, 2012.
THIS SURVEILLANCE
CRIME IN PROGRESS
IN BROWN DEER.
VIDEO OF A
AT KOHL'S

2. Print Story
B2 - C6 SWEEPS ID CONTACT 6 HOLD WITI 2OL4
THEFT PKG
Glip Jeff 2913_01
7:55-7:59 Mark Rooney/
Brown Deer Police
Officer
TWO PEOPLE SPENDING OTHER
PEOPLE'S MONEY AT STORES
ACROSS THE MILWAUKEE AREA.
("They are going to stores in
Brookfield, Foxpoint, Brown Deer,
Gity of Milwaukee.")
AN IDENTITY THEFT RING THAT
STOLE 20 THOUSAND DOLLARS
WORTH OF MERCHANDISE ON
THE¡R 2 DAY TRIP TO
WISCONSIN.
BUT ON THIS DAY, LAUREN
DOBERSTEIN (DOE'BER-STINE)
WAS WATCHING. SHE WAS THE
LOSS PREVENTION SUPERVISOR.
Page 2 of 8
B2
Glip Jeff 2964 57:4'l-
57:48
Lauren Doberstein-
Former Loss
Prevention
Supervisor/Kohl's
http:lll0,ll4.l6.50lexternal/print_stories.php?sid:1712154&uid:1029&op:view&t:141'.. 1012612014
( "The subjects entered the jewelry
department and immediately walked
up to the counter to open a
charge card.")
THE GROUP WAS SO GOOD AT
STEALING IDENTIT¡ES IT TOOK 6
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

3. Print Story
B2 . C6 SWEEPS ID CONTACT 6 HOLD WITI 2OL4
THEFT PKG
Glip Josh0005_01
Karine-Moreno
Taxman/Asst US
Attorney 10:,24-'10:29
TO INVESTIGATE.
("For ffiê, they were the most
sophisticated ring of identity theft.
At the beginning we didn't even
know what ¡t was.")
BUT THEY DO KNOW THIS
DETROIT CREW TREATED THESE
SHOPPING TRIPS LIKE A JOB
AND REFERRED TO THEM AS
..GOING TO WORK."
AND THEY WENT TO WORK ON
PEOPLE WITH GOOD CREDIT,
SEARCHING ONLINE AND GETTING
CREDIT REPORTS.
cLtP JOSH0001 01
TAXMAN
5:15-5:29 TAXMAN
Page 3 of 8
B2
("That would be, first of all, free.
No cost to her because You are
allowed to have one credit check
a year for each credit history, so
that was free and we are still not
sure how she got in to get that
free credit historry, but she would
pose somehow as that Person.")
AND THOSE SECURITY
QUESTIONS AND PASSWORDS WE
SET UP TO KEEP OUR
INFORMATION SAFE? NOT GOOD
http:lll0.Il4.l6.50lexternal/print_stories.php?sid:1712154&uid:1 029&'op:view&r=141". 1012612014

4. Print Story
B2 . C6 SWEEPS ID CONTACT 6 HOLD WITI 2OL4 B2
THEFT PKG
ENOUGH TO KEEP VERITA HINES.
FLAGG OUT. SHE GUESSED
ANSWERS. IF SHE WAS
STUMPED, SHE JUST CREATED A
NEW IDENTITY USING HER
VICTIMS CREDIT HISTORY.
AND THAT IS WHAT SHE WAS
DOING IN THIS SURVEILLANCE
VIDEO- APPLYING FOR A
THOUSAND DOLLAR LIMIT ON A
KOHL'S CARD.
cLrP JOSH 0001_01
6:08-6:20 KARINA
MORENO.
TAXMAN/ASST US
ATTORNEY
Page 4 of 8
cLtP JOSH0001 01
DOBERSTEIN 8:59:57-
09:00:10
("Written very small the person's
name, social security, date of
b¡rth, address, all of that
information and she would use
that to f¡ll out the form and
almost always qualify for instant
credit.")
AND THEN SOMETH¡NG ELSE
TIPPED OFF DOBERSTEIN.
http:llI0.1l4.l6.50lexternal/print_stories.php?sid:1712154&uid:1029&,op:view&r=141.,. 1012612014
( "What I was able to notice is
they began selecting a large
amount of merchandise in a
relatively short period of time. The
merchandise they were selecting
was fairly random in my opinion.

5. Print Story
B2 . C6 SWEEPS ID CONTACT 6 HOLD WITI 2OL4 82
THEFT PKG
cLtP JOSH0001 01
DOBERSTEIN
09:04:16
A lot was selected without too
much concern to price, size,
anything like that.")
AND DOBERSTEIN KEPT
WATCHING AS THE CREW LEFT
THE STORE.
09:04:10- ("The thing that stood out to me
there was their license plate didn't
match the state theY were
currently in the lD theY had
used.")
TURNS OUT THE SUV ..ALSO
STOLEN. THE CRIME RING
LEASED LUXURY VEHICLES USING
OTHER PEOPLES CREDIT. TOTAL
VALUE? 3OO THOUSAND DOLLARS.
Page 5 of 8
CLIP JEFF 2913-01
55:21-55:25 MARK
ROONEY/BROWN DEER
POLICE OFFICER
cLrP JOSH0005 01
http:l110Jl4.16.50/external/print_stories.php?sid:1712154&uid:1029&op:view&r-l4l '.' 1012612014
("The vehicles were Ieased using a
post office box in illinois.")
HINES.FLAGG WOULD KEEP THE
CARS FOR MONTHS...WHILE LATE
PAYMENTS PILED UP IN
SOMEONE ELSE'S NAME.

6. Print Story
B2 - C6 SWEEPS ID CONTACT 6 HOLD WITI 2OL4
THEFT PKG
9:12-9:15 KARINE
MORENO
TAXMAN /ASSISTANT
US ATTORNEY
("You could spend a lifetime trying
to unravel what this group did.")
THE STOLEN GOODS USUALLY
ENDS UP BACK IN DETROIT... UP
FOR SALE. THEY EVEN HAD A
SHOPPING LIST SHOWING
POPULAR ITEMS.
A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THEIR
WISCONS¡N TRIP . THE FEDS
RAIDED THE DETROIT FENCING
SPOT.
CLIP JEFF2964
DOBERSTEIN 09:04:27
-04:41
Page 6 of 8
B2
THAT DIDN'T STOP THIS
http:lll0.I14.16.50lexternal/print_stories,php?sid:1712154&uid:1 029&op:view&t=I4l "' 1012612014

7. Print Story
B2. C6 SWEEPS
THEFT PK
editor note: *COVER
BITE WITH HATCH
THAT WON'T CLOSE
ID CONTACT 6 HOLD WITI 2OL4
( "They opened the back hatch of
their SUV to put the merchandise
in and literally, like, I don't know
how to say ¡t any other wâY, but
they were literally shoving ¡t in to
any open, like, crevice.")
AT THIS POINT DOBERSTEIN
CALLS POLICE AND THAT PHONE
CALL IS THE BEGINING OF THE
END TO THIS 25 YEAR SCHEME.
CLIP JEFF 2964
07
=01-07:06
Doberstein
Page 7 of 8
B2
( "lt was pretty great, uhm, and
is even better now that I know
how ¡t concluded.")
VERITA HINES.FLAGG WAS
RECENTLY SENTENCED TO FIVE
YEARS IN PRISON.
KAT STANDUP
lútp:lll0,ll4.l6.50lexternal/print_stories.php?sid:1712154&uid:1029&,op:view&r=141.'. 1012612014
HER NEPHEW HAS BEEN
SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS IN
PRISON.
HOW CAN YOU
SOMEONE HAS
INFORMATION?
TELL IF
STOLEN YOUR

8. Print Story
B2 . C6 SWEEPS ID CONTACT 6 HOLD WITI 2OL4
THEFT PKG
HERE'S SOME TIPS.
LOOK FOR UNEXPLAINED
WITHDRAWALS FROM YOUR BANK
ACCOUNT.
BE WARY OF CALLS FROM DEBT
COLLECTORS ABOUT BILLS THAT
AREN'T YOURS
Page 8 of 8
B2
CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT
FOR UNFAMILIAR CHARGES.
AND PAY ATTENTION TO
NOTICES OF DATA BREACHES
WHERE YOU SHOP.
I'M KATRINA CRAVY CONTACT 6.
http:lll0.lI4.I6.50lexternal/print_stories.php?sid:1712154&uid:1029&'op:view&r:I4l ". 1012612014