N.M. man allegedly uses fake ID to buy new Jeep, Harley-Davidson
A Northern New Mexico man used fake IDs to buy a new Jeep and Harley-Davidson motorcycle in Las Cruces, police said.
Ronald M. Murray Jr., 29, of Rio Rancho, N.M., faces 37 felonies stemming from an alleged crime spree one week in June.
Murray is suspected of using fabricated driver’s licenses and bogus financial information that identified himself as “Derek Duane Mullner” or “Jason Meek” to fraudulently purchase three vehicles and merchandise totaling nearly $90,000.
A Crime Stoppers tipster identified Murray in surveillance photos released by the Las Cruces Police Department, investigators said.
Las Cruces police teamed up with the Rio Rancho Police Department, which found Murray allegedly in possession of a 2000 Nissan Frontier, 2016 Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Additionally, Murray allegedly had a flash drive with more than 1,300 names from a University of New Mexico database, which detectives suspect Murray used to create false identifications.
Using the “Mullner” ID, Murray allegedly obtained a loan and purchased a 2016 Harley Davidson motorcycle worth $27,000 from Barnett Harley Davidson in Las Cruces; wrote a bogus $69 check at Toucan Market; and obtained credit and purchased $3,888 worth of merchandise from Best Buy. Using the “Meek” ID, Murray allegedly a loan and purchased a 2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited worth $52,000 from Jack Key Chrysler-Jeep in Las Cruces; and purchased a 2000 Nissan Frontier worth $5,000 from Jack Key Nissan.
The alleged purchases — totaling $87,957 — were made from June 5-11.
Murray was arrested Aug. 4 and is currently being held at the Sandoval County Detention Center under a $100,000 cash-only bond. He is charged with 10 counts of identity theft, 23 counts of forgery, three counts of fraud and one count of fraudulent use of a credit card. More charges could be possible, police said.
On June 11, a different man used the “Jason Meek” ID but was unsuccessful in attempting to purchase a motorcycle from Barnett Harley Davidson, police said.
