CHICAGO — Prosecutors say a man with a history of forgery and identity theft crimes broke into a Lincoln Square condo building’s mailroom four times last fall. And when Chicago cops arrested Alex Petik this week, they allegedly found a host of fake IDs, checks, and credit cards in other people’s names.
Petik burglarized the mailboxes of a multi-unit building in the 4800 block of North Bell on October 23, October 30, November 1, and November 5, prosecutors said during his bail hearing on Tuesday afternoon. Two days after the last break-in, one of the residents learned that someone was trying to open multiple credit card accounts in their name.
Chicago police detectives collected video of the burglar and asked other agencies to help identify him, Assistant State’s Attorney Sarah Dale-Schmidt said. A Lincolnwood Police Department sergeant and a U.S. Postal Inspector both recognized the thief as Petik, she said.
A backpack that Petik was carrying when police arrested him on Monday contained a Russian passport, two fake IDs with his photo but other people’s personal information, four credit cards with different names, five checks issued to various businesses and individuals, and 14.2 grams of suspected crystal methamphetamine, according to Dale-Schmidt.
Petik’s felony background includes convictions for forgery in 2019 and 2017, identity theft in 2019, possession of a controlled substance in 2015, and fraudulent title registration in 2015.
Judge Susana Ortiz released Petik on electronic monitoring with no monetary bail required. He is charged with three counts of burglary and manufacture-delivery of methamphetamine.