Multi-state investigation into credit card theft ends in Bloomington – 95.3 MNC

A multi-state crime spree came to an end after Bloomington police helped authorities arrest a man wanted for credit card theft.

Investigators said they received reports of stolen credit cards on March 4 from three seniors at the Redbud Hills Retirement Community in Bloomington.

According to court documents, 43-year-old Markinious Hartfield disguised himself as a woman to get into the nursing home.

All three seniors told police they left their homes for a short time and later discovered that their credit cards had been used at various Walmart stores in Indiana and Kentucky.

Detectives used Walmart’s surveillance cameras to track down the suspect and his vehicle.

Investigators then checked all police stations across the United States for matches with what turned out to be a fake license plate. Authorities in Quincy, Illinois, were working on a similar case and were looking for the same suspect.

Indiana and Illinois are reportedly not the only states Hartfield has targeted.

According to court documents, there are seven arrest warrants against him in six states, targeting nursing homes in Ohio, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.

The nursing homes affected belong to Holiday by Atria.

Authorities believe Hartfield targeted these nursing homes because “none of their facilities have a surveillance camera system.”

After a months-long investigation, Hartfield was arrested by Texas authorities on June 11 following a traffic stop.

According to police, Hartfield’s 40-page criminal record includes dozens of charges and convictions for burglary and financial crimes since 2006.

He is awaiting extradition to Indiana to face charges.