HOUSTON – Houston police said five members of the so-called "Felony Lane" gang are charged with engaging in organized criminal activity following their arrests earlier this week.
The group was arrested at a motel off Interstate 10 near Federal Road on Monday. Police said they tracked down the group after one member tried to cash a stolen check at a bank along Interstate 45 near Rittenhouse.
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Officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation said the "Felony Lane" gang is based primarily in Florida, but members frequently travel to other states to commit car burglaries. Police said the group operates by watching parking lots for women who leave purses, wallets and checkbooks in their cars while they shop, go to the gym or drop children off at day care.
The group got its nickname from members always using the outside lane of a bank drive-through when using stolen IDs to try to cash stolen checks or use stolen bank cards. Police said being in the outside lane makes it harder for bank tellers to see whether the person making the transaction matches the ID presented to the bank.
Police said Michale Smith, 21, Nosayaba Okunseri, 28, and Carl Johnson, 26, are from Florida while Alexis Saborit, 25, and Kelly Robles, 23, live in Houston.
Police said following the arrests, a search of the group's motel room turned up various forms of personal information belonging to between 10 and 49 different people. Detectives said they also found disguises they believe Robles used when trying to cash stolen checks.
All five are currently in jail and scheduled to appear in court on Monday.