Federal fraud charges have been filed against a man who utilized silverware to create forged keys to steal mail from apartment mailboxes.
A federal grand jury indicted Adam Christopher Turner, aged 40, last month following his arrest in May.
According to the details mentioned in his indictment, the Colorado Springs resident stands accused of utilizing counterfeit keys to gain entry into “cluster boxes” located in apartment buildings spanning across three different cities. The authorities have traced his break-ins back to February 2023.
Back in November 12, 2023, Turner found himself in hot water as he was apprehended by Lone Tree PD for using pilfered credit cards in various establishments. The officers discovered that he was carrying twenty different credit cards, all belonging to different individuals. Additionally, they found out that he had in his possession six master keys to mailboxes or what is commonly known as “arrow keys,” which he had fashioned out of dinner knives.
According to the indictment, Turner’s arrest in Lone Tree goes against the terms of a deferred sentence he received for a burglary in 2022. However, it’s worth noting that Turner received a probation sentence for both offenses.
Following his arrest in Lone Tree, a detective from the Financial Crimes Unit of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office initiated a probe into the use of stolen credit cards at various Colorado Springs establishments. As the investigation progressed, it emerged that mailbox thefts had been reported by 16 individuals across Colorado Springs, Peyton, and Parker. The detective reviewed surveillance footage from several businesses in the region, which helped identify the perpetrator behind the fraudulent use of the stolen credit cards as Turner.
Someone in Peyton recently had their debit card used to make a $793 purchase at a Walmart located in Colorado Springs.
A resident of Parker fell victim to credit card fraud when an unauthorized purchase of $3,523 was made at Scheels in Colorado Springs.
Someone in Peyton had their credit card used to make a purchase of $3,870 worth of products at Scheels in Johnstown.
Someone in Peyton had their Home Depot credit card used to make a purchase of $1,086.
In Colorado Springs and Peyton, two individuals fell victim to credit card fraud as their Target credit cards were unlawfully charged for a total of $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 another establishment.
As the detective observed, Turner was spotted driving either a black Camaro or a black Dodge Ram pickup to the stores he frequented. During one of these trips, the pickup truck’s license plates were visible and they happened to be registered to a vehicle owned by a victim of mail theft in Peyton.
In May, authorities were granted a search warrant to investigate Turner’s residence, vehicles, and cell phones after reviewing five months of infractions. This was three weeks after Turner’s sentencing in Lone Tree.
During the investigation, authorities discovered an extensive collection of new or almost-new tools, mechanical and electrical equipment worth thousands of dollars at Turner’s residence. The indictment also revealed that a storage unit rented by Turner contained a set of counterfeit arrow keys, along with a selection of dinner knives.
The stolen truck contained a variety of items, including gift cards, credit cards, and two additional arrow keys that were taken.
Turner had installed an electronic license plate flipper in the truck, which enabled him to conceal the stolen license plate with the genuine one while committing unlawful acts.
According to the indictment, Turner’s cell phone records revealed that his phone was present in the vicinity of the stores at the precise times when the stolen credit cards were utilized.
Authorities discovered firearms in both the residence and the Camaro, accompanied by methamphetamine quantities. The indictment includes drug-related offenses. As a previously convicted felon, Turner was not authorized to possess any firearms.
On July 8th, Turner made his initial appearance in federal court, and he has a trial scheduled for late August. Furthermore, his probation in the Lone Tree case has been revoked.
