“Cannon to the Wiz” ID theft, pickpocket ring busted
I still don’t know the origin of the name “Cannon to the Wiz,” but I’m happy to know the ringleader of the nationwide pickpocket and ID theft ring has been arrested along with nine of his cohorts.
Leonardo Darnell Zanders, 39, was arrested in April in Detroit and has been pegged as the lead defendant in a new federal conspiracy case.
The Cannon to the Wiz is thought to have as many as 200 members, many of whom travel to events attracting large crowds where they can steal wallets.
According to the Michigan State Police, the Final Four playoffs in Detroit last April was one of their venues. And, apparently Donna Pendergast, an assistant district attorney, was one of at least seven victims they hit that night.
“I was a nervous wreck,” Pendergast said. “All I could think of was a house being bought in my name. And you would never know about that until you end up with a bill collector on your doorstep.”
The feds started looking closely at Zanders in September 2007, when he was caught trying to Fed Ex three packages containing stolen personal checks, ID, bank cards and other documents. The loot was traced to 14 victims in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
Zanders got away that time, but the feds got a lot closer to him when they searched his house and found documents for 36 victims in nine states and D.C. They then searched the house of alleged ring member Clyde Austin Gray (A.K.A. “Big Head” and “Poochie”) and found documents for another 85 victims.
Tags: Cannon to the Wiz, Leonardo Darnell Zanders, LifeLock promotion code
August 26th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
They didn’t get the right person, but a warm body helped stop some of the crime back then. The real people behind all that years ago are still in operation in Tulsa, Oklahoma…they never quit then and they will never stop now…get the picture….
August 27th, 2009 at 6:54 am
Thanks for reading my posts and for your comment. Cannon to the Wiz is such a huge organization, it doesn’t surprise me that at least some of its members are still in operation; pickpockets and ID thieves will always be among us.
The purpose of my blog is to let people know all the ways their identities can be stolen, and provide tips on how to avoid becoming a victim, or at least minimize the damage.
I’m guessing you probably want to remain anonymous, but can you provide any additional information that readers might find helpful, even if it’s just to present the magnitude of this operation, others like it, or pickpocketing and ID theft in general?