Hilltown Township Police.
A Horsham man awaiting sentencing this month for pleading guilty to stealing $280,000 from his former Hilltown Township employer, where he worked as an accountant, has been charged again by Hilltown Township Police, accused of opening a credit card under a former co-worker’s name and then using it to rack up $19,000 in purchases between June 2017 and December 2020.
Lorne Leyes, 36, of an apartment on the 200 block of Summer Avenue, was charged July 1 with five felonies: Theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception by preventing acquisition of information, forgery, identity theft, and use of an access device to obtain property, per court records.
Leyes is free on $50,000 unsecured bail, set by Magisterial District Judge Regina Armitage on July 1.
On Jan. 11, 2024, police met with a representative of Glacier Industrial Refrigeration, 305 Forest Road, Hilltown, who told them Leyes opened an unauthorized American Express Business Gold Rewards credit card under the victim’s business account, police allege.
Leyes, police said, obtained the card without consent from the victim and then used it to buy $13,207.18 worth of merchandise, which were then paid for with funds from the company’s TD Bank business account.
American Express customer service told police that only the primary account holder can request a gold card, thus, police allege, Leyes obtained the card using fraudulent means, including providing the victim’s Social Security number, date of birth, and other identifying information.
Through a search warrant for all credit cards in Leyes’ name, police discovered more personal expenses on a second credit card, totaling $6,623.61, police said.
The victim told police he issued Leyes an American Express Blue Card to be used for business expenses only, per the affidavit. Police said expenses put on the card included doctor visits, restaurants, groceries, Uber, and gas, police said.
All in all, Leyes is alleged to have purchased $19,930.79 in goods fraudulently, police said.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 13 at 2:15 p.m. before Armitage.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
