Counterfeit credit card ring busted

MEDIA, Pa. - July 29, 2009 -- The District Attorney of Delaware County announced the bust of a major counterfeit credit card ring on Wednesday.

Authorities believe the man behind the alleged ring is Kevin Henson, 36, of Chester.

Ylana Starks, 30, his girlfriend, and an acquaintance, Donald Mewha, 59 were also charged.

D.A. Mike Green says they made counterfiet cards by using office equipment that can be obtained legally. It's usually used by schools and businesses to make IDs.

All crooks would need to make the stolen credit cards work is stolen information, and Green says the group had more than 400 legitimate credit card numbers.

Green also says, when the ring was busted, about 2,600 blank credit cards were in their possession, along with more than 50 completed credit cards.

The three were busted after a series of quirky mis-steps.

Police found the equipment at an apartment after the landlord changed the locks for non-payment of rent.

In another twist, Stark ended up on police radars when she called to report someone had stolen her brand-new gas grill. Later, authorities determined that the grill was bought with one of those stolen credit cards.

Preliminary estimates show losses could go into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Green says this is the fourth counterfeit credit card operation his office has busted this year alone.

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