For Ryan Mychal-Brooks Burney, a nearly $12,000 purchase with stolen credit card information he bought for $500 seemed like a steal.
But the deal soured when Gainesville Police arrested Burney, 30, of Northwest 57th Place, on felony grand theft and fraud charges Tuesday afternoon.
On Oct. 18, Burney went to the Palm Chevrolet dealership, 2600 N. Main St., and negotiated with a salesperson to buy a 2004 Lincoln Town Car for $11,995.
Burney drove away with the car after making two $500 down payments with a stolen card number, which he told the salesperson was his sister’s.
He previously bought the information from someone in Atlanta for $500 cash, according to a GPD arrest report.
About 130 miles south of Gainesville, Lisa Butchee finished working a 10-hour shift Saturday afternoon when she found her car had a flat tire.
She tried to pay the $23 for her tire repair bill, but her debit card was declined.
On Monday, Butchee, 51, of Lake Alfred, went to the MidFlorida Community Credit Union and saw her bank account overdrafted by almost $1,000.
“I kind of assumed it was the bank’s mistake and they had moved a decimal point,” she said Wednesday. “I was a little mad about it.”
After being advised by a bank teller of possible fraud, Butchee reported the loss to the Winter Haven Police Department, which then called Gainesville Police.
GPD spokesman Ben Tobias said GPD officers went to the dealership Tuesday, sifted through records and found Burney’s fraudulent down payments on the car.
A dealership employee called Burney to tell him the car needed a GPS installed.
When Burney drove back to the dealership, GPD officers arrested him, and employees recovered the car, Tobias said.
After his arrest, Burney told officers he did not know the debit card information was stolen, according to the report.
Police booked Burney into Alachua County Jail at about 4:40 p.m. Tuesday.
As of Wednesday night, he remained in jail on a $30,000 bond.
Contact Chris Alcantara at calcantara@alligator.org.
