The offices of Caddo Sheriff Steve Prator and Shreveport Police Chief Ben Raymond were both involved in the operation.
Dennis Busch, 39, of Laguna Woods, CA, was arrested by Shreveport Police at a Broadmoor retail store. An employee recognized him from a photo circulated by the Caddo-Shreveport Financial Crimes Task Force.
Task Force detectives from the Sheriff’s Office and Police Department had been investigating Busch and three others since September of 2018. Allegedly, this is the date a group of people executed a plan to steal money from numerous bank accounts in Caddo Parish.
As part of the alleged scam, customers received a text which stated their cards were locked and were given a phone number to call to have the cards unlocked. When the customers called the phone number, they were asked to provide their bank card PIN. Later money was withdrawn from their accounts and purchases were made at local businesses using cloned cards.
Four suspects, including Busch, were captured on security video withdrawing money using the cloned cards. Between September 21, 2018, and October 25, 2018, the suspects removed more than $104,000 in Caddo Parish. It’s believed the suspects fled the area after October.
However, detectives continued to work the case, and this month a bank representative reported that Busch was active in this area again. He was captured on security video using cloned cards at ATMs and Shreveport businesses between August 10 and 21. The total amount stolen from multiple banking institutions and companies was over $24,000.
During their investigation, detectives shared Busch’s photo with local businesses. On Saturday, an employee of one of the companies spotted a male matching Busch’s description and contacted police. Busch was taken into custody at the store and booked into the Caddo Correctional Center on multiple counts of Access Device Fraud, Anti-Skimming Act, and Bank Fraud.
The case was investigated by Caddo Sheriff’s Detective Clarissa Harris and Shreveport Police Detectives Jeremy Jordan, Sara Brown, and Jess Camp.
Harris also has obtained warrants for two other suspects involved in the September 2018 thefts. Danny Christopher Dennis, 34, of Loganville, GA, has an active warrant for Bank Fraud with $10,000 bond. Brandon Omer, 31, of Texas, has an active warrant for Bank Fraud and Access Device Fraud with a bond of $30,000.
The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are possible.
