WORTHINGTON -- A Worthington man faces criminal charges related to allegedly making financial transactions with a stolen credit card.
Julio Lopez-Lopez, 19, has been charged with felony financial transaction card fraud after more than $600 worth of fraudulent purchases were discovered following a credit card theft from a customer at a local bar.
According to the criminal complaint, on March 28, a woman received a message from her bank indicating possible account fraud. She told a Worthington police officer she had been at The Tap in Worthington the previous evening. She recalled seeing her credit card in a designated slot on her phone case around 8 p.m. However, it was missing from its case around 11 p.m. when she left.
She put a hold on her account.
According to a transaction list from the victim’s bank, two transactions - for beer and cigarettes - were made at Food-N-Fuel at 8:52 p.m. the evening the victim observed her card to be missing. Lopez-Lopez allegedly attempted to get cash back, but the request was denied. Surveillance footage identified Lopez-Lopez.
ADVERTISEMENT
A purchase of $619.88 from the victim’s bank account was also pending at Nordstrom’s.
During an interview with law enforcement, Lopez-Lopez claimed to have been given the credit card to purchase beer by another person. As the officer went to speak with the person Lopez-Lopez claimed to have given him the card, the third party allegedly received a text message from Lopez-Lopez stating he confused him with another person that had his same name.
Lopez-Lopez then allegedly ran out of his home a few minutes before the officer arrived back at his home to question him further.
Following his arrest, Lopez-Lopez claimed to have found the card outside of the bar and made the purchases at Food-N-Fuel. He claimed his friend used the card to purchase shoes and glasses.
Lopez-Lopez’s conditional bail was scheduled at $1,000 and unconditional at $10,000.
