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Man cleared of stealing credit cards to romance women

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — A man accused of stealing credit cards to wine and dine women has been cleared of the charges against him.

Rene Figueredo, 45, originally went before a judge in March. He faced two counts of entering auto, two counts of burglary, two counts of financial transaction card theft and financial transaction card fraud in Morrow.

Channel 2 Action News learned in June that the charges had been dropped and Figueredo cleared of any wrongdoing.
   
Figueredo was accused of stealing credit cards from cars at fitness gyms, including LA Fitness in Morrow and Gold's Gym in Stockbridge. Morrow police said surveillance video showed him using the stolen cards to buy two dozen roses at a Publix. They said they also caught him on video using the cards to buy dinner at a Red Lobster with an unidentified woman.
   
Channel 2's Tom Jones asked Figueredo's girlfriend if the roses purchased Feb. 25 were for her. 

"No, I got dozens of roses for Valentine's Day, and they were long-stemmed. Thank you," Michelle Blystone said.
   
Blystone thinks the charges are bogus. She said a "be on the lookout" flyer distributed by Henry County police doesn't even look like her boyfriend.

"You can't see the guy that's in the picture. As a matter of fact, you can't make out any features on that guy in that picture," she said.
   
As for the dinner he is accused of buying a woman with the stolen cards, Blystone said, "That's impossible because the dinners, he spends with me. We live together. How are you going to take somebody else to dinner if I'm cooking dinner for you?"
   
Blystone said she had documents that proved Figueredo was at home when some of the crimes took place.  Two documents show a moving company scheduled a pick-up at her home and a furniture company scheduled a delivery on the same day that one of the crimes took place. Blystone said Figueredo was there to meet the visitors. 

"It's got to be someone else, because you can't be in two places at one time," she said.
   
A Clayton County judge gave him a $36,500 bond.