Man Tried Forged License On Tellers 4 Times In 1 Day

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — A Bronx man wielding a forged Connecticut driver's license tried four times to get access to his victim's checking account in one day. He was arrested on his fourth attempt.

Jose Cabrera, 55, was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in state prison for Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. announced Wednesday. He pleaded guilty in September.

The charge was related to four incidents in March where Cabrera used a victim’s identity at various bank branches in Westchester County in order to access the victim’s checking account.

In four separate incidents on the same day, Jose Cabrera entered People’s United Bank branches with a forged Connecticut driver’s license which held a photo of himself but with identifying information of an account holder, the victim. While his first attempt failed, he persisted.

According to police, the timeline on March 30 for Cabrera's attempts was:

• 2:23 p.m, Yonkers branch — He requested a bank balance, providing the teller with a forged Connecticut license. Some information he gave to the teller did not match the bank's files. The attempt was unsuccessful.
• 2:55 p.m., Mount Vernon branch — Presenting himself as the victim, he requested a printout of the real victim's checking account history. He showed the same forged license to the teller and she printed his history for him.
• 4:01 p.m., Ossining branch — Cabrera 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 disseminated a bulletin to other branches warning of the potential scam.
• 4:44 p.m., Thornwood branch — Less than an hour later, he tried again using the same forged license and a forged Discover card bearing the victim's name. He presented a withdrawal slip for $1,750 from the victim's checking account. Knowing a bulletin had been circulated about this scam, the teller notified management and they called the police. Cabrera was at the branch while he was still using the 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.

Bronx Man Arrested For ID Theft, Fake Credit Card