Norwalk Man Arrested In $10,000 Cash Scam In Darien, Cops Say

DARIEN, CT — A 27-year-old Norwalk man was arrested by Darien police on a warrant charging him with second-degree criminal attempt at larceny in connection with a 2019 scam where a victim was fooled into sending $10,000 in cash to a vacant address in Darien, according to authorities.

Emmanuel Bazil, of Nash Place, was arrested on Monday and was released on a promise to appear in court on May 17.

According to Darien police, Bazil scammed elderly victims by phone "to send large quantities of cash to local addresses where it could then be intercepted."

He is accused of pulling off such a scam in March 2019, when police said he bilked a victim into sending $10,000 in cash to a vacant home on Middlesex Road in Darien.

A real estate agent who was selling the home found the cash and reported it to police, after an encounter with a stranger, who came to the home and asked where the package was. The victim thought the money was going to help a relative who had been arrested (which was not true).

"The victim thought they were sending cash to a lawyer for his legal defense," said Darien Police Sgt. James Palmieri. "Further, the caller had informed the victim that there had been a 'gag order' imposed and they were not to tell anyone, to include the victim's spouse."

In addition to the $10,000, the victim told detectives that she had been asked to send another $5,000 to an address in Haverstraw, New York, which led to a separate arrest in that community, according to Darien police.