Defendant: Jose Cabrera (05/27/63)

Sept. 19, 2018 -- Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced Jose Cabrera of the Bronx pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony.  Westchester County Court Judge Larry J. Schwartz accepted the plea.  Cabrera is scheduled to be sentenced as a second felony offender on Nov. 28, 2018.

The charge was related to four incidents in March where Cabrera presented himself as the victim at various bank branches throughout Westchester County in order to access the victim’s checking account.

Background
Prosecutors alleged, in four separate incidents on the same day, Jose Cabrera went into People’s United Bank branches with a forged Connecticut driver’s license which held a photo of himself but with identifying information of another man, the victim. At branches in Mount Vernon, Yonkers, Ossining and Thornwood he tried to access the same victim’s accounts. While his first attempt failed, he persisted and was arrested on his fourth attempt.

Timeline
March 30, 2018 at 2:23 p.m. People’s United Bank, Yonkers branch
Cabrera requested a bank balance. He provided the teller with a forged Connecticut driver’s license as identification. Some information he gave to the teller did not match the bank’s files. His attempt was unsuccessful.

March 30, 2018 at 2:55 p.m. People’s United Bank, Mount Vernon branch
Again, Cabrera presented himself as the victim. He requested a printout of the victim’s checking account history. He showed the same forged license to the teller and she printed his history for him.

March 30, 2018 at 4:01 p.m. People’s United Bank, Ossining branch
In a third incident, he requested a replacement debit card for the victim’s checking account showing the forged license. The teller denied the transaction because the ID did not match the bank’s records. This branch then disseminated a bulletin to other branches warning of the potential scam.

March 30, 2018 at 4:44 p.m. People’s United Bank, Thornwood branch
Less than an hour later, Cabrera tried again at another branch. This time, using the same forged license and a forged Discover card bearing the victim’s name, he presented a withdrawal slip for $1,750 to withdraw money from the victim’s checking account. Knowing a bulletin had been circulated about this scam, the teller notified management and they called the police. They arrested Cabrera at the branch while he was still using his victim’s name. Mount Pleasant Police recovered the withdrawal slip, the forged Connecticut driver’s license, and a forged credit card bearing the victim’s name.

Assistant District Attorney Stefanie DeNise of the Westchester County District Attorney’s Investigations Division Identity Theft Unit is prosecuting the case.

police photo of Jose Cabrera

Jose Cabrera

 In compliance with the Rules of Professional Conduct, Rule 3.6, you are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

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