More than $600,000 in stolen checks and fraudulent credit cards were found at the home of an Allentown man accused of fraudulently using a stolen credit card belonging to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley, according to authorities.
South Whitehall Township police said in a social media post Thursday that investigators recently found the checks and credit cards while searching Cesar Martes Cedano’s home.
Martes Cedano was arrested in late November on charges alleging he used a stolen corporate credit card from the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley to purchase items at Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart, both in Whitehall Township.
He used the card in April to make more than $900 in purchases before it was declined when he tried to use it at a Best Buy, court documents state.
Police said a SUV was seen near the cancer foundation’s mailbox around the time a replacement card was expected, suggesting possible mail theft. Using surveillance footage and tracking the number used to activate the stolen card, investigators identified Martes Cedano as one of two people making the fraudulent purchases, court documents state.
The department said Thursday that while searching Martes Cedano’s home, they found more than $600,000 in stolen checks, more than 40 fraudulent debit and credit cards, numerous fraudulent documents and electronic devices that contained evidence of “fraudulent activity.”
Martes Cedano is charged with three counts of access device fraud, and is in Lehigh County Jail on $75,000 bail.
South Whitehall police said the investigation is ongoing and is being done in connection with the United States Postal Service. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 610-398-0337.