Three Florida men arrested on drug, fraud charges

<p>Franklin police arrested three Florida men after a gas station clerk reported they bought several gift cards using the same cell phone, which had access to credit cards that did not belong to them. </p><p>Alexander Lopez, 21, of Hialeah, Fla., was arrested on charges of fraud, conspiracy and possession of a controlled substance. </p><p>Jesse A. Prieto, 23, of Miami, Fla., was arrested on charges of conspiracy and marijuana possession. </p><p>And Evan Antonio Maria, 21, Miami Lakes, Fla., was arrested on charges of fraud and conspiracy. </p><p>Both fraud and conspiracy charges are Level 6 felonies that could result in up to 2 1/2 years in jail. </p><p>A clerk at the Speedway gas station, 701 W. Adams Street, reported the alleged fraud to police at 5:23 p.m. Wednesday, according to a Franklin Police Department report. </p><p>The clerk said two of the men tried to buy gifts cards using the same cell phone via credit card applications, according to the report. </p><p>When police arrived, the three men sped off in a blue van. Police followed, eventually stopping them for failure to signal and an illegal U-turn at U.S. 31 and Nineveh Road, the report said. </p><p>Police smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle. Lopez, the driver, gave police a medical marijuana card from Florida, but denied knowing anything about the marijuana smell and buying anything more than a water at the gas station, according to the report. </p><p>Maria told police the three had rented the van to drive to Indianapolis and stay at an Airbnb, but wanted to add a night to their stay, and needed to buy gift cards to load onto the Airbnb app. Maria said he used his phone to pay for the gift cards, but told police the battery on his phone was low, so the credit card app would not load. Maria also told police the three were about to smoke marijuana when they were pulled over. </p><p>Prieto refused to answer questions, but said he went inside the gas station to use the restroom, according to the report. </p><p>Police found three small bags of marijuana, a marijuana cigarette and an unopened $200 Visa gift card inside the van. After police searched the van, Prieto told them he, Lopez and Maria each bought a bag of marijuana to smoke on the trip. Lopez and Maria both continued to deny any of the marijuana was theirs. </p><p>Police asked Lopez why he told them he only bought a water at the gas station, but Maria and Prieto both told them he also bought gift cards. He refused to answer, the report said. </p><p>Maria, while showing police the &quot;Samsung Pay&quot; app on his phone, revealed that the credit card actually belonged to a woman with none of the suspects’ last names, according to the report. Maria said it was his aunt’s card, but failed to give police her name, and said he didn’t recognize the name of the cardholder when police asked about it. None of them recognized the cardholder’s name, police said. </p><p>At one point during the arrest, Lopez dropped two small plastic bags containing pills and kicked them under a cop car, according to the report. Lopez denied dropping the pills and told police they were not his, the report said. </p><p>In Prieto’s wallet, police found a Wells Fargo card with no name on it. On Maria, police found three phones, seven gift cards and activation receipts. Three Speedway receipts show the suspects used three different credit cards to buy the gift cards, according to the report. </p><p>Police asked that Investigations search the phones for more evidence, the report said.</p><p>All three men were taken to the Johnson County jail. Lopez was released on $5,400 bond. Maria was released on $4,800 bond. And Prieto was released on $2,200 bond. </p>