GROSSE POINTE SHORES — The public safety department’s budget grew by $25,332 as city council approved accepting forfeited money from an identity theft case during its meeting Tuesday, July 19.
“We’ve had the money for a while, but this was to officially put it in the budget,” Detective Lt. Scott Rohr said. “What started as an identity theft complaint turned into an enormous case with 50 victims sprinkled around the state and country.”
Rohr said the complaint was filed July 27, 2021, in what the department originally thought could be a case of elder abuse.
“Someone obtained the personal information of one of our residents and applied for a loan,” Rohr explained. “The bank got suspicious and contacted the Wayne County Elder Abuse Unit, who then turned it over to us.”
That didn’t turn out to be the case.
What followed was an investigation into what Rohr termed a “dark web of activity,” that led to a search warrant for a residence in Genesee County.
That warrant was executed Aug. 31, 2021, on a house in Burton, outside Flint, and included officers from the Shores, Michigan State Police and federal authorities.
“We found hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and stacks of debit cards and Target gift cards,” Rohr said. “These people were very opportunistic.”
Rohr said the Shores resident did not face any…
