Federal fraud charges have been filed against a man who used silverware to create forged keys and gain access to mailboxes in apartment buildings for the purpose of theft.
A federal grand jury indicted Adam Christopher Turner, aged 40, after his arrest in May.
According to the indictment, the accused individual from Colorado Springs allegedly used counterfeit keys to gain access to “cluster boxes” in apartment buildings across three different cities. The authorities have traced his illegal activity back to February of 2023.
In November 12, 2023, Lone Tree PD arrested Turner for using stolen credit cards at multiple businesses. During his arrest, authorities found 20 credit cards belonging to 20 different individuals in his possession. Furthermore, they discovered a set of half a dozen keys, all of which were master keys for mailboxes, also known as “arrow keys.” It was later revealed that Turner had fashioned these keys out of dinner knives.
According to the indictment, Turner’s arrest in Lone Tree went against the conditions of a deferred sentence he had received for a burglary in 2022. However, despite committing two offenses, he was only given a probation sentence.
Following his arrest in Lone Tree, a detective from the Financial Crimes Unit of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation into the use of stolen credit cards in Colorado Springs. The probe revealed that 16 individuals in Colorado Springs, Peyton, and Parker had their mailboxes robbed. After reviewing surveillance footage from various businesses, the detective was able to swiftly identify Turner as the individual who had been using the stolen credit cards.
Someone from Peyton had their debit card used for a purchase of $793 at a Walmart located in Colorado Springs.
An individual residing in Parker had their credit card utilized to purchase products worth $3,523 from Scheels located in Colorado Springs.
Someone in Peyton recently had their credit card used to make a purchase of $3,870 at Scheels in Johnstown.
Someone else living in Peyton fell victim to credit card fraud as their Home Depot card was used to make a purchase worth $1,086.
In Colorado Springs and Peyton, two individuals fell victim to credit card fraud when their Target credit cards were utilized to make purchases totaling $2,426 and $2,517, respectively.
Upon reviewing surveillance footage, the El Paso detective observed Turner exiting a store while donning a sweatshirt that he had unlawfully obtained from a separate establishment.
While visiting the stores, Turner was observed by the detective driving either a black Camaro or a black Dodge Ram pickup. One of the videos even showed the license plates of the pickup truck, which were registered to a mail theft victim residing in Peyton.
In May, authorities were able to obtain a search warrant for Turner’s residence, vehicles, and cell phones after studying five months’ worth of infractions. This happened just three weeks after his sentencing in Lone Tree.
During the investigation, authorities discovered a significant amount of new or like-new tools and mechanical and electrical equipment at Turner’s residence. As per the indictment, a storage unit rented by Turner contained a collection of dinner knives, amongst which were eight counterfeit arrow keys.
The stolen mail, along with gift cards and credit cards, was found inside the truck. In addition, two more arrow keys were also discovered.
Turner’s truck was fitted with an electronic license plate flipper, which enabled him to switch the stolen license plate with the legitimate one of his vehicle while engaging in illegal activities.
According to the indictment, Turner’s cell phone records revealed that his phone was present in the vicinity of the stores when the stolen credit cards were utilized.
Authorities discovered guns in both the residence and the Camaro, as well as significant quantities of methamphetamine, resulting in drug-related charges listed in the indictment. Turner, being a convicted felon, was not authorized to possess firearms.
On July 8, Turner appeared in federal court for the first time. A trial has already been scheduled for him, which is set to take place in late August. Furthermore, his probation in the Lone Tree case has been revoked.