Knoxville Police detectives are asking for the public's help identifying a man accused of using someone else's credit card to make multiple purchases at two different Knoxville home improvement stores and a fast food restaurant. The department wants to speak with him about the fraudulent transactions in connection with case #26-027442.
The appeal, first shared by East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers on Sunday, includes images of the person police are trying to identify. Per the organization's post, the man pictured allegedly ran up charges on a card that did not belong to him at the two home improvement retailers and a fast food establishment, though the specific stores, dates, and dollar amounts involved have not been released. As with all individuals featured in Crime Stoppers appeals, the man is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
How Tennessee Law Treats Stolen Card Purchases
Whether this case eventually becomes a misdemeanor or a felony matter will likely hinge on how much was spent. Under Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-118, using or possessing someone else's credit or debit card without consent is treated as illegal possession or fraudulent use of a credit card, punished according to the value of property obtained or as a Class A misdemeanor if no value was obtained, according to FindLaw. Separately, Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-105 bumps that charge up to a Class E felony, punishable by one to six years in prison, once the cumulative value of goods or services obtained tops $1,000, per Justia Law's breakdown of the statute.
Because the alleged spending spree touched three separate businesses, the aggregation rules matter here. Tennessee Code Annotated § 39-14-105(b) allows prosecutors to combine the value of multiple fraudulent transactions into a single theft count when the acts stem from a common scheme or intent, according to the Tennessee Bar Association. That means purchases spread across two home improvement stores and a fast food restaurant could legally be tallied together toward a felony threshold, even though no charges have been filed and no arrest has been announced in this case.
A Familiar Pattern in Knoxville
This isn't the first time Knoxville has seen stolen cards used in quick succession at local retailers. In February 2024, Crime Stoppers sought public assistance after suspects stole wallets from patrons at a Knoxville Panera Bread and immediately used the victims' credit cards at a Kohl's near West Town Mall, according to the organization's own case archive. Back in June 2022, Knoxville Police Department detectives investigated a similar robbery in which a victim's stolen credit cards were quickly used at multiple local businesses, a case that led to identity theft and felony theft charges once the suspect was identified and arrested, per the City of Knoxville.
The pattern reflects a broader problem. Tennesseans reported more than 12,700 instances of identity theft and financial fraud in 2023, adding up to over $133.6 million in losses statewide, according to Beacon Capital Management. Nationally, credit card fraud tied to identity theft was the most commonly reported form of identity theft in 2024, with Federal Trade Commission complaints surpassing 480,000 cases, per Synovus.
How To Submit a Tip
East Tennessee Valley Crime Stoppers, a citizen-run nonprofit established in May 2021 to gather anonymous tips on unsolved crimes across Knoxville and surrounding East Tennessee counties, is accepting tips on this case through its usual anonymous channels. Tipsters can call 877-363-8847, text ETTips to 738477, use the P3 Tips app, or submit information online at EastTNValleyCrimeStoppers.org. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest, but organization policy requires that tips be submitted directly through Crime Stoppers channels rather than given to police officers in order to remain eligible for that payout.
Since its 2021 launch, the organization's tip line has led to 625 arrests and 425 cleared cases across the region, with more than $110,000 in cash rewards paid out to tipsters, Hoodline has previously reported. It's the same tip pipeline that has recently powered other Knoxville-area appeals, including a search for a suspect in an Old City assault and a manhunt tied to Knox County trailer thefts. For now, key details in this case remain unresolved: the exact dollar amount charged across the three businesses, whether the card was physically stolen or cloned, and the specific dates and locations of the transactions have not been disclosed. No charges have been filed and no arrest has been made in case #26-027442.
