Erick Christian Luna de la Cruz, a 34-year-old Peruvian national living in Edison, New Jersey, has admitted to playing a central role in a multi-state scheme involving credit card and identity theft-crimes that frequently targeted elderly women shopping at retail stores across the eastern United States.
Luna de la Cruz entered a guilty plea in federal court in New Haven, Connecticut, on charges of conspiracy to commit access device fraud. The case, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, stems from an investigation that began in 2022, when a troubling pattern of thefts started surfacing at stores like Trader Joe’s, TJ Maxx, and other retail locations.
According to court records, Luna de la Cruz and his co-conspirators traveled extensively across the country, focusing on unsuspecting victims-often elderly women-who were shopping in busy retail environments. The group would reportedly steal wallets, then use the victims’ credit and debit cards to make purchases at other stores, typically buying high-value electronics and similar goods.
But this wasn’t just a smash-and-grab operation. The group took calculated steps to move the stolen merchandise, stopping at shipping providers along their route to send the goods to an address in New Jersey tied to one of their co-conspirators. It was a coordinated effort that combined low-profile theft with a system for monetizing the stolen property without drawing immediate attention.
Luna de la Cruz was arrested on June 28, 2024. He’s currently out on a $100,000 bond and is being monitored electronically while he awaits sentencing, which is scheduled for April 22. He faces up to five years in federal prison.
The investigation was a joint effort, led by the FBI and the Manchester Police Department, with critical support from law enforcement agencies across several states-including departments in Connecticut, Virginia, South Carolina, Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Their collaboration was key in unraveling a scheme that stretched across state lines and targeted some of the most vulnerable members of the community.
As the legal process moves forward, this case stands as a reminder of how organized fraud operations can exploit everyday moments-like a trip to the grocery store-and why cross-agency cooperation remains essential in stopping them.