Two men allegedly connected to an organized crime ring accused of bilking thousands of dollars from a local retailer have been indicted.
Anthony Phillips, 60, address unavailable, and Aubrey Walker, 49, Louisville, were indicted by a Henderson County grand jury in early March each on charges of engaging in an organized crime syndicate, theft by deception of $10,000 or more and being a first-degree persistent felony offender.
While Walker was arrested on the offenses and later bonded out, local authorities said Phillips absconded from the area.
“It appears he’s on the run, and possibly somewhere in Tennessee,” said HPD Detective Jake Isonhood. “There is an active arrest warrant for him.”
The investigation began in October after companies with business accounts at Lowe’s in Henderson saw charges they had not accrued.
“They (the alleged suspects) were saying they were with these companies, and charging things to their business accounts,” Isonhood said. “Employees of the companies saw the charges and notified Lowe’s that they hadn’t purchased those objects.”
The alleged suspects were purchasing products such as flooring, fans, appliances and trailers.
“The first amount for purchases was $6,000 on Sept. 1, and the second was $19,000 on Sept. 25,” the detective said.
It’s unclear how the men obtained the information of local companies who hold business accounts at Lowe’s, Isonhood said.
As the investigation unfolded, authorities learned that several more retail stores, both in Kentucky and Indiana, had been targeted.
“This group had been going around (to retail stores) in cities all over, such as Louisville, Evansville, Owensboro among other locations” and allegedly perpetrating the same scam, Isonhood said.
Walker has been charged in Louisville on similar offenses, officials said. Information regarding whether Phillips faces similar charges in other jurisdictions was unavailable.
It’s uncertain the total value of the items stolen from all the retail stores in the various cities.
“In similar scams, retailers lose hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Isonhood said.
It’s also unknown how many are working as part of the crime ring.
“We know other people are involved,” he said, adding that authorities believe others in Henderson are connected to the crimes.
Isonhood said the investigation is continuing.
