Waynesville, NC – A New York man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly using fake identities to open a credit account at a Best Buy in North Carolina.
Joseph Forino III, 54, of South Garden City, New York, was arrested Monday after attempting to fraudulently obtain a store credit card to purchase merchandise, police said.
Waynesville Police responded to the store around 11 a.m., where employees reported the suspicious transaction. Forino reportedly used different names and presented two Florida IDs and one Minnesota ID.
“We couldn’t ever get him identified,” said Master Officer Tim Carver. Initially, Forino told officers his name was Theardis Watson, later changed it to Theodore Watson, and also had ID under the name George A. Riachy, Sr. Eventually, he admitted his real identity.
Police recovered a MacBook, Apple Watch, and several AirPods that had been obtained using fraudulent means. Officers believe the scam started the previous night under another alias.
Forino is charged with:
2 felony counts of obtaining property by false pretense
4 felony counts of identity theft
2 felony counts of using a false license during a felony
1 misdemeanor count of resisting a public officer
He remains in the Haywood County Detention Center on a $50,000 bond. Authorities are still investigating the scope of the fraud and whether additional suspects or incidents are linked to the case.
