Defendants Each Stole More Than $100,000 from Chase Bank; Impersonated & Stole Personal Information from at least 15 People
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced a 106-count indictment against NEFERTITI GARNETT and an 80-count indictment against ZOE WALMSLEY, on charges of Grand Larceny, Identity Theft, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument , Scheme to Defraud, and Attempted Grand Larceny.[1] Each defendant is charged with stealing more than $100,000 from Chase Bank by impersonating victims using stolen personal identifying information and bank account numbers at various bank branches in New York State and New Jersey. GARNETT was arraigned on June 25, 2010, and WALMSLEY was arraigned on July 19, 2010.
“For more than a year, the defendants brazenly used stolen personal information from unsuspecting victims to steal money from Chase Bank,” said District Attorney Vance. “Fortunately, an astute employee discovered the fraudulent transactions and promptly reported the crimes to the attention of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.”
According to the indictments, the defendants conducted multiple bank transactions in their victims’ accounts, including withdrawals, deposits, and the cashing of forged checks. At least one of the victims was impersonated by both GARNETT and WALMSLEY, who each conducted fraudulent bank transactions using the same victim’s name. The investigation is continuing to determine whether there may be further connections between the two defendants.
GARNETT is charged with identity theft for impersonating at least seven individuals. She conducted at least 35 transactions involving her victims’ bank accounts between October 6, 2009 and March 30, 2010.
According to her indictment, WALMSLEY is charged with identity theft, for impersonating at least eight different victims. She conducted at least 28 transactions involving those victims’ accounts between February 24, 2009 and March 8, 2010.
District Attorney Vance thanked Assistant District Attorney Tracy Conn of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau, who is prosecuting the cases under the supervision of Bureau Chief David Szuchman and Deputy Bureau Chief Nitin Savur. Investigative Analyst Joseph Marazzo assisted in the investigation.
The District Attorney also thanked investigators from the following institutions: Chase Bank, particularly fraud investigator Karen Kelly, New York City Police Department Officers from the Identity Theft Squad, particularly Detective Hector Rodriguez, and the 25th Precinct Detective Squad.
Defendant Information:
NEFERTITI GARNETT, D.O.B. 8/7/77
Roosevelt, NY
Charges:
Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, class C felony, 1 count
Identity Theft in the First Degree, class D felony, 62 counts
Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, class D felony, 5 counts
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, class D felony, 25 counts
Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, class E felony, 1 count
Identity Theft in the Second Degree, class E felony, 4 counts
Attempted Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, class E felony, 1 count
Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, class E felony, 7 counts
ZOE WALMSLEY, D.O.B. 7/18/68
New York, NY
Charges:
Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, class C felony, 1 count
Identity Theft in the First Degree, class D felony, 34 counts
Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, class D felony, 14 counts
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, class D felony, 25 counts
Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, class E felony, 1 count
Identity Theft in the Second Degree, class E felony, 2 counts
Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, class E felony, 1 count
Attempted Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, class A misdemeanor, 1 count
Petit Larceny, class A misdemeanor, 1 count
A class C felony is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a class D felony is punishable by up to 7 years in prison, a class E felony is punishable by up to 4 years in prison, and a class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to 1 year in prison.
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Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced a 106-count indictment against NEFERTITI GARNETT and an 80-count indictment against ZOE WALMSLEY, on charges of Grand Larceny, Identity Theft, Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument , Scheme to Defraud, and Attempted Grand Larceny.[1] Each defendant is charged with stealing more than $100,000 from Chase Bank by impersonating victims using stolen personal identifying information and bank account numbers at various bank branches in New York State and New Jersey. GARNETT was arraigned on June 25, 2010, and WALMSLEY was arraigned on July 19, 2010.
“For more than a year, the defendants brazenly used stolen personal information from unsuspecting victims to steal money from Chase Bank,” said District Attorney Vance. “Fortunately, an astute employee discovered the fraudulent transactions and promptly reported the crimes to the attention of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.”
According to the indictments, the defendants conducted multiple bank transactions in their victims’ accounts, including withdrawals, deposits, and the cashing of forged checks. At least one of the victims was impersonated by both GARNETT and WALMSLEY, who each conducted fraudulent bank transactions using the same victim’s name. The investigation is continuing to determine whether there may be further connections between the two defendants.
GARNETT is charged with identity theft for impersonating at least seven individuals. She conducted at least 35 transactions involving her victims’ bank accounts between October 6, 2009 and March 30, 2010.
According to her indictment, WALMSLEY is charged with identity theft, for impersonating at least eight different victims. She conducted at least 28 transactions involving those victims’ accounts between February 24, 2009 and March 8, 2010.
District Attorney Vance thanked Assistant District Attorney Tracy Conn of the Cybercrime and Identity Theft Bureau, who is prosecuting the cases under the supervision of Bureau Chief David Szuchman and Deputy Bureau Chief Nitin Savur. Investigative Analyst Joseph Marazzo assisted in the investigation.
The District Attorney also thanked investigators from the following institutions: Chase Bank, particularly fraud investigator Karen Kelly, New York City Police Department Officers from the Identity Theft Squad, particularly Detective Hector Rodriguez, and the 25th Precinct Detective Squad.
Defendant Information:
NEFERTITI GARNETT, D.O.B. 8/7/77
Roosevelt, NY
Charges:
Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, class C felony, 1 count
Identity Theft in the First Degree, class D felony, 62 counts
Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, class D felony, 5 counts
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, class D felony, 25 counts
Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, class E felony, 1 count
Identity Theft in the Second Degree, class E felony, 4 counts
Attempted Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, class E felony, 1 count
Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, class E felony, 7 counts
ZOE WALMSLEY, D.O.B. 7/18/68
New York, NY
Charges:
Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, class C felony, 1 count
Identity Theft in the First Degree, class D felony, 34 counts
Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, class D felony, 14 counts
Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, class D felony, 25 counts
Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, class E felony, 1 count
Identity Theft in the Second Degree, class E felony, 2 counts
Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, class E felony, 1 count
Attempted Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, class A misdemeanor, 1 count
Petit Larceny, class A misdemeanor, 1 count
A class C felony is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a class D felony is punishable by up to 7 years in prison, a class E felony is punishable by up to 4 years in prison, and a class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to 1 year in prison.
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