Condo renting couple was bad news

From the Forum (Part 1):

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.”

Big drug & fraud bust in southeastern Queens

From the Queens Courier:

Authorities charged 17 people connected to a major credit and debit card fraud ring based in Queens following a year-long investigation, prosecutors announced on Thursday.

According to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown, the suspects used the stolen credit and debit card account information to make purchases at department stores and other establishments in New York City, Long Island and Rockland County between December 2014 and May 2015. Police allege that several of the suspects were active gang members.

During its investigation and ensuring court-authorized searches, police reportedly recovered card readers, embossers and other equipment used for credit and debit card forgery along with more than $11,000 in cash, three vehicles, a loaded .40-caliber Glock firearm, 41 marijuana plants, two 5-gallon containers full of marijuana and high-intensity lights known to be used for growing pot indoors.

Some of the establishments targeted by the ring include Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s stores in Flushing, Douglaston and the Queens Center mall, W&H Liquors in Hollis, Target stores in Nanuet and Long Island, a Pathmark supermarket in New Hyde Park, and Waldbaums supermarket in College Point.

Couple gets light sentence for ID fraud

QUEENS, NY (PIX11)— A Queens couple's relationship is star crossed, after pleading guilty in one of the biggest credit card and identity scams in U.S history.

Amar Singh admitted that he was behind the manufacturing of fake credit cards with stolen accounts and lured shoppers to purchase Apple and Best Buy items for resale. Singh along with 110 other individuals were caught in October for raking in $13 million in stolen money.

Singh, took the plea agreement and taking the rap, to spare his wife, Neha Punjani-Singh, along with dodging at least 250 years in prison if he went to trial. He was sentenced to 5 to 10 years for identity theft and enterprise corruption charges.

Punjahni Singh also pleaded guilty to petty larceny and was able to walk out of Queens Supreme Court with a discharge sentence.

Hokey realtor in the pokey

From the Daily News:

A shady real estate broker who operated his Astoria firm despite being convicted of identity theft is finally in the big house.

Phivos Ioannou, 50, surrendered to the feds on March 1 and was stripped of his real estate license after being charged with bank fraud, according to court papers and his attorney.

The charges against Ioannou included using a credit card terminal at the real estate agency to fraudulently charge an AmEx card belonging to the FBI.

Ioannou pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in April and was sentenced to two years behind bars and three years parole. He reported to a low-security prison in the Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex in White Deer, Pa.

Ioannou was twice featured on Fox 5 News’ “Shame, Shame, Shame” segment. Dozens of commenters on various online forums complained about his shady dealings, including taking deposits without delivering the promised services and using false advertising to lure in clients.

Vibrant, diverse credit card fraudsters

From the NY Post:

A cast of unsavory characters from Queens was busted for allegedly manufacturing thousands of bogus credit cards and using them on massive shopping sprees and luxury vacations, The Post has learned.

The two-year investigation ended this week, as authorities smashed several fraud rings and arrested 110 people around the borough, according to court records and sources.

One of the rings was led by Amar Singh, who was described in court papers as “overseeing the entire operation” -- including an army of shoppers and fences to convert high-end goods to cash.

The parade of arrests had local bail bondsmen working overtime.

“This is a once-a-year kind of bust. These are the biggest enterprise-corruption cases we’ve seen,” said Jason Fordin, vice president of Empire Bail Bonds, noting that the only roundups of this size had involved gambling.

The credit-card fraud defendants represent “the diversity of Queens,” he said.

Shady Astoria realtor going to jail?

From Fox 5:

It looks like an Astoria, Queens, real estate salesman, Phivos Iannou, also known as Phil, who already is in the Fox 5 Hall of Shame since 2010 for scamming apartment hunters, may finally be forced out of business.

Arnold Diaz reports that the law has caught up with this hustler -- again.

Previously:
Collecting above and beyond the rent

Astoria realtor scam exposed on TV

Shady realtor operating under new name

Your credit card info may have been stuck in this guy's ass

From the NY Post:

Florin Necula, of Long Island City, Queens, swallowed a black 4 gigabyte Kingston flash drive after Secret Service agents raided his home to bust up a New Jersey-New York bank fraud ring, according to court papers.

Federal agents raided the apartment of Necula and his co-defendants in the case, seizing cell phones and laptops and digital cameras.

But before agents could grab all the evidence, Necula scooped up the roughly inch-long mini-drive and gobbled it up.

Patient feds waited days for the suspect to download the evidence, but the computer drive was jammed in his system as his attempt to obstruct justice, instead obstructed his colon.

"Doctors from the New York Downtown hospital later removed the flash drive because they were concerned that Necula would be injured if they allowed the flash drive to remain inside him," special agent Joseph Borger wrote in an affidavit.

Some unfortunate crime lab technician was still able to retrieve the information.

Necula and three co-defendants were charged with illegally attaching a device, called a skimmer, to bank ATMs in Jersey City and Queens that would allow them to read customer’s debit card numbers. They allegedly stole over $35,000.

Fraud convictions fail to stop crime by illegal alien

Illegal Immigrant Bilked $10,000 from Casino Patrons

EASTON, Pa. (AP) -- Authorities in eastern Pennsylvania say an illegal immigrant from China bilked casino patrons out of as much as $10,000 last month.

Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli says 56-year-old Shoumin Chai scammed casino patrons who used an ATM at the Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem last month. Surveillance footage allegedly shows Chai offering to assist two dozen people with their withdrawals and double-swiping their cards to access their accounts.

Morganelli says three people have already come forward claiming $1,100 in loses.

Chai, a New York City resident, faces more than a hundred charges. Her bail was increased to $200,000 on Wednesday.

Morganelli says Chai has a history of fraud convictions and was banned from Atlantic City casinos in May. Immigration officials say they have begun deportation proceedings.

International fraud ring based in Queens

From NY1:

Police say a city-based identity theft and credit fraud ring with roots in Nigeria, stole thousands of personal identities from people across the U.S. and Canada, racked up charges on individual accounts, and shipped forged credit cards to eager buyers worldwide, including in Japan, India, Saudi Arabia and Ireland.

"We think they have this sort of reach. It's international in scope," said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

Kelly and Queens District Attorney Richard Brown say the ring was based in Queens and broken up after a 21-month operation in which police recovered card-making equipment, cash and credit reports.

They say banks and individuals on both sides of the border have already lost $15 million in the scheme.