West Babylon Man Indicted, Stole 29 Credit Cards From Suffolk Gyms: DA

WEST BABYLON, NY — A West Babylon man who is charged with stealing 29 credit cards from numerous lockers at two LA Fitness gyms in January and used them at Suffolk County stores was indicted on Wednesday, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced.

Carl Francois, 56, is charged with eight counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, 31 counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, and one count of petit larceny, before Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Richard Ambro.

Between Jan. 8 and Feb. 17, Francois allegedly stole 29 credit cards out of the gym lockers of 13 people, according to an investigation. He was also seen on video surveillance entering the LA Fitness locker rooms at two separate locations, prosecutors said.

Francois was then seen allegedly a short time later using the stolen credit cards to purchase items such as gaming consoles, laptops, and power tools at several retail locations throughout Suffolk County including Target, Home Depot, and Best Buy.

“Getting out to the gym is tough without having to worry about someone taking your credit cards to go on a shopping spree,” said Tierney. “The unsuspecting victims of these crimes assumed their valuables were safe, but they weren’t. As this indictment demonstrates, we treat these crimes seriously in Suffolk County.”

Justice Ambro ordered Francois held on $25,000 cash, $100,000 bond, or $200,000 partially secured bond.

He faces a potential aggregate sentence of imprisonment of 10 to 20 years if convicted, Tierney's office said in a release. His next court date is May 10.

Patch reached out to Eric Besso, Francois' attorney, for comment.