A 30-year-old Russian national living in New York City is wanted by Dauphin County police after stealing nearly $45,000 in precious metals with a fake ID, according to criminal documents.
Lower Swatara Township police charged Shorena Dzhgamaia on Friday with five felonies: theft by deceit, theft of mail, illegal use of a communication service, identity theft, and forgery.
On March 28, a v informed investigators that many shipments she had bought, including thirteen 10-pound copper bars and 500 one-ounce silver bars, had been taken from a FedEx station in Lower Swatara Township.
The woman informed authorities that she paid $44,807.87 for the parcels from SD Bullion, an e-commerce company that enables the purchase and sale of precious metals.
On March 26, the woman was notified that her parcels had been delivered and signed for, but she never received or signed for them, according to authorities.
When she checked the online tracking, the victim discovered that a hold had been placed on the orders, preventing them from being delivered to her home.
When the woman went to FedEx to pick up the parcels, an employee informed her that they had previously been picked up by a woman driving a white Chevrolet Equinox with New York license plates.
FedEx surveillance tape showed a different lady, eventually identified as Dzhgamaia, posing as the victim and retrieving the items.
After communicating with a federal official from the Department of Homeland Security, officers discovered Dzhgamaia is a Russian national who unlawfully entered the United States in 2023.
The federal agent further stated that Dzhgamaia is known to engage in commercial fraud.
Police interviewed a FedEx employee, who stated that Dzhgamaia gave an ID bearing the victim’s identity.
Two FedEx employees noticed Dzhgamaia’s accent and stated she appeared agitated and in a hurry.
The employees had no idea what had happened until the victim walked in the next day to pick up the parcels.
On May 20, investigators spoke with Dzhgamaia over the phone before moving to text messages to facilitate translation.
Dzhgamaia told police she drove to FedEx in her Chevy Equinox to pick up a delivery and did not aware the victim’s parcels had been loaded into her car until she returned to New York.
She informed authorities that the only thing she did wrong was not return the precious metals, which she later claimed she donated to a church.
Dzhgamaia declined to answer questions concerning the phony ID bearing the victim’s name.
When an officer sent a picture of Dzhgamaia inside the FedEx facility, she answered, “Yes,” according to criminal documents.
She also informed police that the metals’ market worth was closer to $1,500 than $45,000, and that she would require a payment plan to pay the full restitution. When detectives inquired why she knew the metals’ value, she didn’t comment.
Dzhgamaia told police that she is penniless and lives in a shelter.
She did, however, send police her bank statements, which contained a $600 car payment as well as transactions at Target, Amazon Prime, a gourmet market, restaurants, and other locations.
Following the theft of her parcels, SD Bullion mailed the victim replacement metals, according to authorities.
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