Florida man accused in local thefts, fraud

An investigation into a stolen wallet earlier this month in Hopkinsville led to the arrest of a Florida man accused of being involved in a gang that commits thefts across the country.

Hopkinsville police say a wallet was stolen from an individual in Hopkinsville April 10 and that Jorge Valero of Florida then used the victim’s cards to buy gift cards and electronics totaling thousands of dollars from Walmart and GameStop.

Investigation led police to Geneva, Illinois, where local authorities were notified about Valero possibly being in their area. He was arrested there soon after allegedly similar crimes.

Police say he had approximately $7,000 in new electronics and 30 prepaid gift cards that are believed to have been obtained fraudulently.

Valero is believed to be a part of the Felony Lane gang, who are predominantly out of south Florida and travel the United States to commit these types of crimes.