Police Arrest Eliot Sophomore

A sophomore resident of Eliot House pleaded guilty yesterday to charges of credit card fraud, University police said.

Harvard police arrested Joshua L. Abbey '94 early Saturday morning after confiscating receipts from stolen credit cards and a computer stolen from the Office of Information Technology valued at $5000.

Police said abbey stole four American Express cards and one Visa card from the Eliot House mailroom and used them to purchase approximately $10,000 worth of computer equipment.

Abbey made bail and will be arraigned today in Cambridge courts. He could not be reached for comment yesterday.

According to police reports, officers entered Abbey's room, Eliot D-13, at 2:24 a.m. Saturday morning with a search warrant.

Arresting Abbey in the DeWolfe St. suit of his girlfriend, officers found him in possession of a stolen Visa card with a forged signature and $150 that had been illegally taken from a cash machine at Christy's.

Abbey admitted to having stolen the computer and the credit cards, the reports said.

The most serious charges leveled against Abbeyare breaking and entering a depository, receivingstolen property and using credit cardsfraudulently. He was also charged with forging anduttering and with larceny in a building.

Harvard police turned Abbey over to Cambridgeauthorities later Saturday.

Harvard police reports indicate that thedepartment received numerous complaints from EliotHouse, who reported stolen credit cards.

Students told of calls from credit cardcompanies and computer manufacturers trying toconfirm large expenditures, the reports said.

Police applied for a warrant after findingreceipts for stolen cards in Abbey's trash.

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III said thathe expects Abbey will appear in front of theAdministrative Board in a disciplinary hearing.Epps would not comment further on the incident

The most serious charges leveled against Abbeyare breaking and entering a depository, receivingstolen property and using credit cardsfraudulently. He was also charged with forging anduttering and with larceny in a building.

Harvard police turned Abbey over to Cambridgeauthorities later Saturday.

Harvard police reports indicate that thedepartment received numerous complaints from EliotHouse, who reported stolen credit cards.

Students told of calls from credit cardcompanies and computer manufacturers trying toconfirm large expenditures, the reports said.

Police applied for a warrant after findingreceipts for stolen cards in Abbey's trash.

Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III said thathe expects Abbey will appear in front of theAdministrative Board in a disciplinary hearing.Epps would not comment further on the incident