Most suspected criminals are arrested after an extensive manhunt and a lengthy investigation. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York issued a complaint against an alleged fraudster in November of 2021, but despite the requisite manhunt and investigation, the suspect eluded capture—until he went to Disney World in Florida.
The crime and the arrest
In the complaint issued by the United States Attorney’s Office, the suspect was accused of using stolen identities to obtain fraudulent loans and keeping the proceeds for himself. The complaint alleged that the suspect used fraudulent e-mail accounts, phony identification papers, bank accounts and bank cards in the names of other individuals to create a web of identities that hindered attempts to investigate the alleged thefts.
The suspect named in the complaint eluded all efforts to locate and arrest him until he decided to visit Walt Disney World in Florida. By pure chance, the postal inspector who had signed the complaint for the United States Attorney’s Office was visiting Disney World at the same time. The inspector saw a “H” tattooed on the suspect’s neck and realized that the man with the tattoo was the suspect named in the indictment.
The inspector contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to tell the office about his sighting of the suspect. Deputies arrested the suspect after the man made several attempts to resist arrest. The suspect was transferred to federal custody and is presently detained in Florida, pending transfer to New York for arraignment and possible trial.
The charges
The original federal charges against the defendant include theft of government funds, conspiracy to steal government funds and aggravated identity theft. This list now includes resisting arrest.
Sound legal advice
The suspect in this case did not benefit himself with his repeated efforts to avoid arrest. He is facing very serious federal and state criminal charges, and the prosecutors may still seek to amend the indictment to add other charges. The advice of an experienced criminal defense attorney who can evaluate the evidence and suggest potential defense strategies may be the suspect’s best hope for obtaining an acquittal or an acceptable plea agreement.