Five held in theft ring at area golf clubs

There were diamond rings from Macy's.

Gold and silver chokers from Lord & Taylor.

Bracelets, necklaces and a silver spoon from Tiffany.

That was just some of the booty recovered by Pennsylvania State Police after breaking up a tri-state theft ring that broke into cars at area country clubs and then used stolen credit cards to make high-end purchases at local department, jewelry, sporting goods and home improvement stores.

Attorney General Tom Corbett announced yesterday that five suspects had been charged in "Operation Bad Drive."

The defendants, four alleged members of the theft ring and one reputed South Philadelphia "fence," were charged in connection with a series of break-ins between May and September.

Corbett declined to comment about a possible "organized crime component" to the investigation, but court documents in unrelated cases involving two of the suspects hint at mob connections.

Authorities allege that members of the ring purchased $100,000 in merchandise with the stolen credit cards.

Corbett described the theft ring as "highly organized."

"These defendants knew they had a small window of time to make high-end purchases before the stolen credit cards were canceled," said Corbett who cautioned that individuals should not leave wallets or other items of value in their cars.

Authorities identified Michael Pacitti, 39, of South Philadelphia, as the leader of the operation. Pacitti, currently in federal prison on a probation violation charge, has a prior conviction for credit-card fraud in 2004. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison in that case.

According to court documents, he admitted his involvement in the golf course theft ring when confronted by State Trooper Michael Romano, the lead investigator in the case.

Informed of the continuing investigation and surveillance that tied him to both the car break-ins and stolen credit-card purchases, Pacitti offered to cooperate, promising to provide information about "organized crime, drugs and robberies," according to a filing in his federal case.

"He named specific people in each category and offered to wear a wire or do 'whatever is necessary' to avoid returning to jail," according to a four-page document filed in September by Pacitti's probation officer.

He later recanted and "unequivocally" denied any involvement, the document said.

Pacitti was sent back to prison for 24 months on Oct. 1 after a judge ruled that he had violated the terms of his supervised release in the 2004 case through his alleged involvement in the golf course theft ring.

Authorities said Pacitti used three individuals to make purchases with the stolen credit cards: Kimberly Kinkade, 25; Nicolas Cordisio, 27; and Todd Stark, 40, all of Philadelphia.

All three were charged yesterday.

Stark's name also has surfaced in an ongoing federal investigation into an alleged multimillion-dollar financial-fraud case linked to Nicodemo S. Scarfo, the son of jailed mob boss Nicodemo "Little Nicky" Scarfo and Elkins Park businessman Salvatore Pellulo.

The probe centers on a Texas-based corporation that was involved in a series of financial transactions that the FBI is now investigating.

FBI search warrants executed in May indicated that the probe was centered on bank fraud, wire fraud, money-laundering, extortion and racketeering. The warrants listed 43 companies and individuals who were of interest.

Stark was included on that list.

Pacitti, according to court documents, told the State Police that Stark had "connections" to the younger Scarfo.

Authorities said Pacitti directed the theft ring and also sold merchandise to Dan Phuc Tran, 30, of Philadelphia, whom authorities identified as a "fence" - someone who buys and sells stolen property.

Tran also was arrested yesterday.

Pacitti would break into cars in the parking lots of targeted clubs, according to Corbett.

He would check for cars left unlocked, would use master keys or would smash a car window with a golf ball, Corbett said. The golf ball would be used to make the car owner think that the window had been damaged by an errant golf shot - thus the "Operation Bad Drive" investigation.

Authorities said Pacitti took credit cards and other expensive items from the cars, including GPS devices, laptop computers and iPods.

He and his associates would cruise the golf club parking lots in a Cadillac Escalade or a Mercedes SUV, authorities said.

Many of the items confiscated during the investigation were on display at the State Police barracks in Trevose where Corbett announced the arrests.

In addition to the jewelry and watches, stolen items included two Tag Heuer watches, four flat-screen televisions, a Bose home-entertainment center, a Coach handbag, several DeWalt power tools, running shoes, laptops and cell phones.

In all, 34 golf courses were targeted in the scheme, authorities said. They included the Edgmont Country Club and the Aronimink Golf Club in Delaware County; the Philmont Country Club, the Philadelphia Cricket Club and North Hills County Club in Montgomery County; the Wilmington Country Club in Delaware, and the Buena Vista, Ramblewood and Medford Lakes Country Clubs in New Jersey.