AUBURN, Maine — Two men, including an illegal alien, were arrested Thursday in Auburn for their involvement in a series of retail thefts across Maine. Auburn Police located the suspects’ vehicle at approximately 11:20 a.m. on Washington Street, which had been linked to multiple organized thefts around the state.
When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the occupants, both men, ignored the officers and continued to drive toward the Maine Turnpike. During the pursuit, they began throwing items out of the vehicle, which police later recovered. These items included fake identification cards and identification cards from various foreign countries, believed to have been destroyed by the suspects.
On Friday, police announced the arrest of 44-year-old Francisco Mercedes from New York, N.Y. He faces multiple charges, including felony organized retail theft, theft by deception, falsifying physical evidence, misuse of identification, and driving without a license. Mercedes was taken to the Androscoggin County Jail, where his bail was set at $6,000.
The second suspect, 25-year-old Hannier Alexander Orozco-Mosquera, also from New York, was found to be in the U.S. illegally. Orozco-Mosquera was turned over to U.S. Border Patrol.
The suspects are accused of using fake IDs to obtain store credit at various Home Depot locations in central and southern Maine, making large purchases, and then transporting the stolen items back to New York and New Jersey. Investigators have indicated that the thefts were part of a larger organized crime ring and that additional arrests and charges may follow.
The investigation is ongoing, and further details may emerge as police continue their inquiry.
