$750K Stolen From Family, Friends In Financial Scam: Berks DA
A Berks County man is accused of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from family and friends over the course of more than a decade, authorities announced on Monday, April 7.
Santiago J. Torres, 41, of Sinking Spring, has been charged with 17 counts of Felony Theft by Deception, 11 counts of Felony Identity Theft, 11 counts of Felony Forgery, and seven counts of Felony Access Device Used to Obtain or Attempt to Obtain Property, according to Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams.
Detectives launched an investigation in August 2024 after multiple victims came forward with concer…
Fake ID Scheme, USPS Robberies, Bank Fraud: Penns Grove Man Learns Fate, Feds Say
A 25-year-old Salem County man was recently sentenced to more than 9 years in prison after he robbed two postal workers while committing bank fraud, authorities said.
From May 2018 through February 2020, Dezhon McCrae, a Penns Grove resident, was part of a scheme to obtain stolen checks from the mail and then use the checks to create counterfeit checks with the same routing and account numbers for deposit into area banks, U.S. Attorney John Giordano said, following his sentencing in Camden federal court.
McCrae's group posted advertisements on social media, seeking people who had bank …
Garfield Travel Agent Stole $896K From 82 Clients, 3 Friends She Impersonated: Prosecutor
A Bergen County woman is facing a laundry list of charges after allegedly stealing nearly $900,000 through identity theft and bogus travel bookings, authorities said.
Bhavna Anand, 39, of Garfield, was arrested on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Saddle Brook following a months-long investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit, under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck, according to Prosecutor Mark Musella.
It began in May 2024, when the Lodi Police Department flagged an alleged theft scheme involving Anand.
Investigators say that between January 2017 and Dece…
$42K Phone Scam: Duo Impersonated Government Agents To Steal In Port Jervis, Police Say
Two men were apprehended after allegedly running a telephone scam that tricked an Orange County woman into handing over $42,000, authorities said.
New York City residents Nian Lin, 40, and Zhen Chen, 25, were taken into custody on Friday, March 14, after a sting operation led by Port Jervis Police with assistance from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the Orange County Drug Task Force, and the US Department of Homeland Security, authorities announced on Wednesday, March 19.
According to police, the duo pretended to be government officials and told the victim her iden…
$620K In Fake Checks Found In Vehicle With NJ Plates During PA Traffic Stop: Police
A routine traffic stop in Eddystone, Pennsylvania, led to the discovery of a massive fraud operation involving hundreds of counterfeit checks worth more than $620,000, Pennsylvania State Police announced on Tuesday, March 18.
Christopher Hayman, 29, and Tyree Holmes, 33, were pulled over by Eddystone police while driving a white Volvo with temporary New Jersey plates on Thursday, March 13, according to officials.
Inside the vehicle, officers discovered approximately 200 fraudulent checks linked to scams in four states, along with stolen credit cards and fake IDs, police said. Investigator…
Freeport Tax Preparer Stole $2M Through False Returns, Covid-19 Relief Fraud, DOJ Says
A Long Island tax preparer is facing federal charges for allegedly orchestrating a massive $12 million fraud scheme.
Damaris Beltre, 57, of Freeport, was indicted on wire fraud and related charges in Central Islip federal court on Wednesday, March 12, after filing hundreds of false tax returns and stealing COVID-19 relief funds, prosecutors alleged.
Beltre ran multiple tax preparation businesses where she falsely inflated tax refunds for clients, claiming fake dependents, fraudulent sick leave, and fuel tax credits, according to prosecutors. She allegedly charged a percentage of …
