Police last week executed an early-morning raid and search warrant at a building in Ozone Park, arresting two men and effectively smashing an identity theft scheme based on credit card and gift card fraud, according to the NYPD and sources.
Jacques Joseph and Kaeshawn Kerr were rousted around 6:35 a.m. last Wednesday inside a second-floor residence in the Park Village Condominiums on Centreville Street.
Joseph, 32, was charged with 57 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, and two counts of criminal possession of a forgery device with the intent to use; both are D felonies.
Kerr, 21, has been charged with 59 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, and two counts of criminal possession of a forgery device with the intent to use.
From the Forum (Part 2):
In March 2014, Walker and Joseph were caught with 60 stolen credit cards after attempting to use one at a Garden City Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. In May 2013, Joseph and another woman were caught traveling back home to New York from Charlotte, N.C., after allegedly ripping off stores down south by buying real gift cards with phony credit cards.
Walker is scheduled to be released on Sept. 29. Her Park Village lease expires at midnight on Sept. 30.
Until then, Mary Walsh, the owner of the condo, is left in real estate limbo—and to wonder how the Realtor she depended on to bring her proper tenant candidates could recommend someone with questionable credentials.
Walker allegedly claimed to work for a company at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and produced documentation attesting to such employment. However, The Forum’s investigation has revealed that Walker is not employed by the company, but instead is on government-assistance rolls.
“That’s why you go to a real estate office—to protect you from this,” Walsh said. “Even though I was naïve enough to get scammed, they didn’t do their job. They failed me.”
6 comments:
If the greedy baggage "Mary" had not turned a condo into a rental apartment this would not have happened.
Face it renting to anyone these days is a crap shoot. Doing a credit check helps a little but no guarantee. Real estate agents don't really care as long as they get their commission.
unless you work for one of the snobby manhattan realtors, most of these people barely graduated high school. they get paperwork, do some checks on a computer and call it a day
up until recently real estate agents didn't even have to finish high school...just pass the test and its all good!
DUH.. She used one of the identities she stole to rent the apartment.
@ Queens Crapper, any follow up to this, wonder if this blew over or still ongoing?
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