Long Island man, 41, accused of stealing his blind aunt’s identity
Long Island man, 41, accused of stealing his blind aunt’s identity
| Newsday.com |
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| 9/4/2007 – ISLANDIA, N.Y. (AP) _ A man was arrested for stealing his blind aunt’s identity and charging thousands of dollars in purchases to her credit cards, including Mary Kay cosmetics, gas, food, a cell phone, and his family’s dental work, police said.
The 41-year-old Islandia resident was arrested Monday at his home on charges of grand larceny and identity theft after a nearly two-month investigation, Suffolk county police said. In total, more than $6,000 was charged to the woman’s credit cards without her knowledge, and more than $2,000 was withdrawn from her checking account, police said. Once funds began to run short on her credit cards, the man forged his aunt’s signature on checks and deposited them into her accounts, so that he could later withdraw the money as cash, police said. His aunt, who has not been identified, happened upon the scam when she started receiving notices informing her of overdue credit card payments and insufficient funds in her bank checking account, police said. With a friend’s help, she was able to learn that someone was making unauthorized purchases from her accounts. She notified police in July, triggering an investigation by the Suffolk Police Identity Theft Unit. Her nephew was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in First District Court in Central Islip. |