Man accused of stealing credit cards at Orem Temple

OREM — A man is accused of stealing several credit cards from the Orem Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then racking up thousands of dollars in fraudulent charges.

A probable cause statement for the incident named Alexander Cedillo Herrera, and accuses him of multiple crimes related to stealing and using other people’s credit cards.

Police suspect Herrera “is gaining access to secure lockers within the LDS temple and stealing transaction cards,” the statement said. Herrera reportedly told officers that he “found” the credit cards.

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Police said the man tried to use one stolen card to buy $839 of items at a target, but the charge was declined. Herrera then allegedly used a different stolen card and split the purchase into two smaller amounts, which went through. Police also found several other charges made to the stolen cards, including $170 at a Midvale Walmart, $145 at an Orem Walmart and smaller purchases at Orem gas stations.

“At this time, there are three known victims whose transaction cards have been fraudulently obtained, possessed and used by (Herrera),” the statement said. All three of the victims told police that they had visited the Orem Temple during the month of November.

Herrera successfully charged just one of the cards with roughly $1,200 in merchandise, the statement said. Police said the total amount of fraudulent charges exceeded thousands of dollars.

The BYU Police Department is also investigating Herrera for similar crimes, the statement said. He’s accused of unlawful use of a financial card, unlawfully acquiring a financial card and a felony count of pattern of unlawful activity. The statement said police expect additional charges will be added as more information comes to light.