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String of Cary robberies connected to Florida gang

A string of Cary vehicle robberies may be the work of a Florida gang, according to a search warrant released last week.

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CARY, N.C. — A string of Cary vehicle robberies may be the work of a Florida gang, according to a search warrant released last week.

The warrant said Cary police received several calls on Feb. 3 regarding thefts from vehicles parked at fitness centers and a martial arts business. Three victims said that their car windows were smashed and purses, wallets, credit cards, driver’s licenses, checkbooks and cash were stolen.

According to the warrant, Haley Elizabeth Knight and Cristy Cervantes were arrested on Feb. 9 in Hope Mills after they were found in possession of stolen property.

The warrant said the women had attempted to cash a check using a driver’s license belonging to one of the Cary victims. Knight and Cervantes told police they were accompanied by at least three men, none of whom police have identified.

Prior to the arrest people living near the 100 block of Martina Court in Cary reported an abandoned car. Cary police found licenses, checkbooks and credit cards.

Authorities believe the women were working with a Florida crime organization known as the Felony Lane Gang. The group targets specific locations, like gyms and parks, where people leave their vehicles unattended for long periods of time, according to the warrant.

According to the warrant, the suspects steal purses and wallets from vehicles and then recruit women to cash checks using stolen IDs, credit cards and checkbooks.

The women make the transactions in the bank’s drive-through lane, while the men deliver instructions via cellphone, the warrant said.

The women are paid a fee for cashing the checks and the remainder of the money is handed over to the men to be brought back to Florida, the warrant said.

The name of the gang, Felony Lane Gang refers to how they cash stolen checks. They typically use the lane farthest from the bank teller known as the felony lane.

The group is known to operate up and down the East Coast along interstate corridors. A captain with the Cary Police Department said they monitored activity in other states, compared it with these two arrests, and made the connection.

The two women are the only ones they are looking for in connection to the incidents in Cary.

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