Returning to the scene of a crime was not a good idea for a New York City man charged with trying to use a man’s stolen identity to buy computers.
Vaughn L. Lawhorn, 46, of Brooklyn, was arrested at Best Buy in Hempfield Wednesday as he attempted to purchase two MacBook Pros, video games and gift cards worth thousands of dollars using the identity of a Penn Township man.
Police say he was trying to use the same forged documents that were rejected by store clerks Monday after questions were raised during authentication.
Police say a store manager telephoned Penn Township police Wednesday afternoon when Lawhorn reentered the store, attempting to use forged identification cards to buy merchandise a second time. The items he attempted to purchase were valued at more than $4,000, according to court documents.
The victim initially reported the attempted theft to Penn Township Officer Brad Buchsbaum, who reviewed store surveillance and spoke with a store manager after the initial failed purchases.
Buchsbaum said in court documents that, after receiving word that Lawhorn was back in the store Wednesday, he telephoned state troopers in Greensburg, who are less than two miles away from the Best Buy, to detain Lawhorn until he arrived.
“(The store manager) said Lawhorn was wearing the same clothes (Wednesday) as he was on the 28th when he initially used the victim’s identity,” Buchsbaum said.
According to court documents, state police say Lawhorn admitted using fake documents.
In addition to a fake credit card, Buchsbaum said Lawhorn also forged the Penn Township man’s driver’s license.
According to court documents, Lawhorn told investigators “he had purchased the victim’s identity from the dark web.”
Police reported that he has active arrest warrants in several states for similar thefts.
Lawhorn was arraigned before night court District Judge Jason Buczak on two counts each of access device fraud, identity theft, criminal attempt and unlawful use of credit cards. Buczak ordered Lawhorn held without bond in the county prison while authorities investigate whether he may have used the victim’s identity to make other local purchases.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled Nov. 18.
