Police: Man Dated Women, Scammed Them Out of $375K

Michael J. Shields Jr. also allegedly scammed two U.S. Army members out of a combined $15K

A man is accused of opening credit cards in the names of women he dated and using them to charge more than $375,000 worth of purchases.

Twenty-five-year-old Michael J. Shields Jr., a New Hampshire resident who previously lived in Boston, was ordered to be held on $7,500 during his arraignment in front of a Massachusetts judge in Suffolk Superior Court Wednesday.

Between May 2015 and January 2016, Shields allegedly opened more than a dozen credit cards in the names of five women with whom he had brief relationships. Authorities say he asked each woman for her personal information, at times claiming he wanted to make the victim an authorized user on his own existing cards. Instead, according to prosecutors, he used the information to open up new cards and added himself as an authorized user.

On those cards, authorities say he charged vacations, jewelry, meals and clothes, all adding up to more than $375,000.

Additionally, Shields is accused of opening four credit cards in the name of a childhood friend who, at the time, was serving in the Army. Shields allegedly offered to help him build credit as he transitioned to civilian life, but instead charged more than $3,000 on his own purchases.

A different member of the U.S. Army alleges that Shields swindled him out of $12,500, which he expected the suspect to invest on his behalf.

Shields allegedly used some of his victims' bank accounts to make payments on the credit card charges he racked fraudulently racked up.

Charges against Shields include 21 counts of credit card fraud, 17 counts of use of a fraudulently obtained card, several larceny charges and two counts of witness intimidation.

Shields was indicted on Sept. 28. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

His next court date is Nov. 1.

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