Charges Filed In $10K Southington ATM Caper: Warrant

SOUTHINGTON, CT — A New York City man has been implicated in a series of automated teller machine thefts from a Southington bank, police said.

Gregory Beaumont, 26, was charged on a warrant with second-degree larceny and the fraudulent use of an ATM, police said.

He posted $50,000 bail and is due in court on Feb. 24, records show.

The investigation dates back to Aug. 18, when Southington police were notified about suspicious activity at an ATM located at the Santander Bank branch at 235 Queen St.

The manager said Santander Bank was currently experiencing "ATM cash-outs" throughout Connecticut and the activity involved thieves from "out of state" using multiple cards to withdrawal thousands of dollars from ATMs, according to a warrant.

The thefts were "made possible" as a result of a "glitch" that allowed users to enter a withdrawal amount, then hit the back button and enter their own choice of denominations, according to a warrant.

According to in investigators, the system did not recognize the amount of denominations entered, and only accepted the initial request. For example, a $20 withdrawal could be
changed to a $220 withdrawal, with a machine recognizing only the initial transaction amount, according to a warrant.

The manager showed police several still photographs and video surveillance images of suspects inside the ATM vestibule, confirming the suspects took thousands of dollars out of the ATM.

Detectives observed someone actually return to the branch and he was identified as Beaumont, according to a warrant.

Beaumont at first denied the earlier use of the ATM or stolen ATM cards, stating he had a "twin brother," that was a year younger, according t0 a warrant.

The investigation however, showed Beaumont had entered the interior ATM vestibule with others and made ATM transactions, according to a warrant. For about 45 minutes, Beaumont is observed on surveillance making multiple ATM transactions, withdrawing cash from the ATM and putting the money in his pockets.

In all, Beaumont is reported to have made 51 separate transactions, withdrawing $210 with each transaction for a value of $10,710, according to a warrant.