Glenville man allegedly tried to pay for prostitute with credit card

Plastic isn’t always better than cash.

Or at least that’s the lesson a Glenville man probably learned, after he allegedly tried to pay for a prostitute with his credit card. The alleged prostitute made off with the credit card and went shopping at Walmart, far exceding the $50 spending limit the alleged john had alloted, according to authorities.

“It was several hundred dollars,” Glenville Police Lt. Stephen Janik estimated today.

But rather than accept the loss, the alleged john told police his home had been burglarized and his credit card stolen while he slept. Now Darren Deluca, 35, of Saratoga Road, is facing misdemeanor charges himself, after one of the falsely accused burglars told investigators she and another woman were invited to his home to perform sex acts during the early morning hours on March 29.

Deluca initially reported someone had entered his apartment through a sliding door and stole a number of items, including credit cards, checks and cash. Investigators later determined his credit card had been used at Walmart in Glenville and retrieved security footage of two women leaving the store with purchases.

The surveillance images showed a pair of women — one appearing in her late 30s; the other is in her late 50s wearing glasses and slightly bald. Other photos showed them leaving the Walmart parking lot in a small, green, foreign-model vehicle.

Police publicly released the photographs, which were then widely publicized by the media. Investigators also received several tips in the case before Candace J. Kirby-Robinson, 58, of Lenox Road in Schenectady, came forward and told her side of the story.

“That was based on seeing herself on the news,” Janik said.

Kirby-Robinson told police she and another woman were solicited by Deluca for sex. In exchange, he offered them the use of his credit card and cash in the amount of $50.

Janik said the women never returned with Deluca’s property. He said the man later cancelled the cards and reported the burglary to police.

When interviewed a second time, Deluca allegedly fessed up about his fib. He allegedly told investigators that he made up the story after realizing the women charged more to his credit card than the agreed upon amount.

Deluca was charged with falsly reporting an incident and patronizing a prostitute. Kirby-Robinson was charged with one misdemeanor count of promoting prostitution.

Both suspects were arraigned on the charges and released. They are scheduled to reappear in Town Court at a later date in May.

Janik said an arrest warrant has been issued for the third individual implicated in the case. He said additional charges are also possible, including identity theft.

“There’s going to be more charges pending,” he said. “This isn’t over with.”

Categories: Schenectady County