QUEENS — They wanted to make money fast.
A Jamaica man and a Long Island woman have been charged for coming up with a scheme to deposit fake checks into real bank accounts and then make quick withdrawals before the checks bounced, the Queens District Attorney’s office said Tuesday.
Milton Robinson, 27, of 110th Avenue, and Shaquanaisa Morris, 24, of Freeport, face counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, prosecutors said. They face up to seven years in prison, if convicted.
The duo first targeted a victim that Morris shared a Citibank joint checking account with, according to the Queens DA’s office.
The account usually averaged a daily balance of less than $10. But last year, on July 30, six checks totaling more that $4,600 were deposited into the account at an ATM in Queens, prosecutors said. The checks were drawn from a non-existing account.
Later that day, $986 was withdrawn from the victim's account.
Less than 15 minutes later, a $976 money order was bought with Morris’ debit card and then cashed right after at a different check cashing place.
Video surveillance shows Morris and Robinson using her debit card to make the cash withdrawals at an ATM as well as Morris purchasing the money order, according to the Queens DA's office.
The following day, authorities said, Morris allegedly deposited a check for $1,400 made out to her at an ATM and drawn from the account of another victim. Then Morris, accompanied by Robinson, was caught on surveillance camera withdrawing $1,000 from a different ATM and shortly after making another cash withdrawal for $1,200.
The victim told investigators that she did not write the check and does not know Morris and Robinson.
“The man and woman charged in this scheme allegedly victimized not only the banks where the account was held, but also individuals, who are now on the hook for the cash essentially stolen from the bank,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a statement.
“Even after the culprits have been prosecuted, the victims will face years of financial adversity and fallout from the alleged scam,” Brown noted.
Morris was arraigned on August 6, and released on her own recognizance. She is due back in court on August 25. Robinson, was arraigned the following day, and is being held on $30,000 bail. His next court date is August 19, according to the Queens DA’s office.
Robinson's attorney did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. Information on Morris' lawyer was not immediately available.
