New Haven Man Pleads Guilty To Stealing $160K From Elderly Woman: Feds

NEW HAVEN, CT —A 23-year-old New Haven man pleaded guilty in federal court to stealing more than $160,000 from an elderly woman's bank account, the Justice Department announced.

Gregory Ivy waived his right to be indicted before pleading to one count of bank fraud, according to U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery.

According to Avery, court documents and statements made in court, in 2018, Ivy began working for a retired woman, doing odd jobs for her and then began to steal checks from her checkbook while in her home. Writing checks payable to himself, he forged her signature on the checks, and deposited the checks into his personal credit union account, per Avery. Ivy also gave stolen blank checks on which he had forged the victim’s signature to another person, who then cashed or deposited the checks, the US Attorney said. That person then recruited others, including Lamont Bethea, to cash or deposit stolen checks on which Ivy had forged the victim’s signature, Avery said.

Bethea used the information on the stolen checks, including the bank routing number and the victim’s bank account number, to arrange electronic funds transfers from the victim’s bank account to make payments for himself, his family members, and other friends or acquaintances, Avery said. He used these EFTs to pay credit cards bills, rent, car insurance, student loans, cell phone bills, and other payments for himself and others, Avery said. Bethea also provided the victim’s routing and bank account numbers to other individuals, so they could arrange similar EFTs for themselves and others from the victim’s account, per prosecutors.

Ivy, Bethea and other participants attempted to obtain a total of $624,818.28 from the victim’s bank account, prosecutors said. Because the victim’s bank account became overdrawn, some attempted check deposits or EFTs were reversed, resulting in a loss to the victim of $479,569.08. Ivy personally stole $162,942 from the victim during his involvement in the scheme, which lasted until May 2021.

He'll be sentenced Dec. 21, and faces a maximum of 30 years in prison.

Ivy was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on November 8, 2021. He is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.

Bethea and his family members and friends stole more than $131,000 from the victim. On September 1, 2022, Bethea pleaded guilty to fraud offenses stemming from this scheme and a separate, unrelated scheme. He awaits sentencing.

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of Bank of America. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon.

The Justice Department has established a National Elder Fraud Hotline, 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), to provide services to seniors who may be victims of financial fraud.