Pickpocket Ring Allegedly Victimized Macy's Shoppers

A New York woman with 24 aliases and more than 35 arrests in several states was in custody after allegedly participating in a multistate pickpocket ring that targeted customers in big stores and malls, including Westfarms mall, police said.

Edna Zanfordino, 54, of Yonkers, N.Y., faced a sleeve of 87 charges in four cases in Superior Court in Hartford and Bantam.

The charges stem from incidents involving allegedly stolen credit cards and thousands of dollars in fraudulent purchases in West Hartford, Canton and Torrington, police said.

Zanfordino was charged by Aug. 3 with 38 misdemeanors and four felonies, including three counts of identity theft and third-degree larceny. She was at the York women’s prison in Niantic on a combined bail set at $215,000.

Zanfordino was accused by West Hartford police of stealing wallets with credit cards from two women shopping in Macy’s at Westfarms mall. In a January incident, Zanfordino was seen on security video dipping into a purse that was slung on the back of a women’s wheelchair, police said.

Police in West Hartford and Torrington said Zanfordino, who is listed as a welder in court documents, worked in tandem with an alleged female accomplice who helped distract victims. Last August in Macy’s, Zanfordino, described as 4-feet-11 and 100 pounds, allegedly asked a customer for help with a blouse. The woman later discovered her wallet was missing, police said.

Zanfordino allegedly used stolen credit cards to quickly charge a variety of merchandise at nearby stores. In West Hartford, the charges were made within two hours of each incident and totaled $9,419.01, police said.

Torrington police said Zanfordino followed a similar pattern and allegedly charged $3,404 in local merchandise Sept. 5, nine days after an alleged spree at stores in West Hartford. Zanfordino also allegedly made purchases at a supermarket in Canton.

West Hartford police said Zanfordino and an alleged accomplice were identified through assistance from police in Paramus, N.J. Paramus detectives said the women were suspected members of an organized pickpocket gang from New Jersey and New York. Neither woman has a conviction in Connecticut, according to court records.

In addition to multiple names, Zanfordino has used nine birthdates, 10 social security numbers and was collecting disability insurance, according to the Torrington Register Citzen. Court records show dozens of convictions in New York and New Jersey since 1974 on wide-ranging misdemeanor and felony charges.

Zanfordino was scheduled to return to Hartford Superior Court Aug. 26.