Charges say Mpls. felon used many stolen IDs to unload ill-gotten loot

A 34-year-old repeat felon was charged Tuesday with stealing hundreds of items over the past four years, ranging from jewelry to designer luggage, electronics and other valuables — and also stealing people's identities to pawn off the loot.

Calvin M. Rogers, of Minneapolis, was arrested Sunday and charged in Hennepin County with identity theft and being a felon in possession of ammunition or a firearm. Rogers remains jailed without bail ahead of a court appearance Wednesday afternoon.

Police say Rogers fenced some of the stolen items at local pawnshops — using fake names or having someone else unload the valuables to avoid detection — and stored the rest in the garage of his North Side home.

Investigators allege that Rogers used the identities of many people as part of his enterprise. Specifically, he had 75 Social Security cards of others, along with passports, credit cards, driver's licenses, bank account checks, a birth certificate, a car title, a firearms permit and notary stamps belonging to two people.

A police search of his home also turned up several boxes of ammunition in his bedroom and kitchen, prompting an additional felony charge. Rogers' criminal history includes felony convictions for theft, receiving stolen property, check forgery and drug possession.

On Monday, police put items they say were stolen by Rogers and unearthed in a garage at his home on display in a south Minneapolis warehouse. They say he targeted cars in the parking lot of the downtown Hyatt Regency hotel.

Over the years, police said, the suspect ran a veritable "personal pawnshop" from his home, stealing clothing, car stereos and speakers, a BB gun and ammunition. Small electronics such as laptops and cellphones were also frequent targets. The most expensive item on the list was a battered replica Stradivarius viola valued at $3,000 to $30,000.

Rogers was captured on the parking ramp's security cameras casing cars that were unlocked or with valuables in plain sight, authorities said. Then, police say, he returned later for the goods.

Police say Rogers is also suspected of stealing from cars parked at the nearby Radisson and Millennium hotels and the IDS Center — incidents dating back nearly a decade.

A search of Rogers' North Side property and two vehicles recovered about 278 stolen items, according to a court document filed in late August in Hennepin County District Court. But Jackson said after closer inspection, that number doubled.

Police logged 352 property crimes in the precinct that includes downtown through Sept. 7, down from 597 such crimes over the same period last year.

Star Tribune staff writer Libor Jany contributed to this report. Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482