Crime & Safety
Ridgefield Police Charge Two Men In Separate Identity Theft Investigations
Ridgefield police charged two men in separate investigations involving stolen bank cards and a $27,000 theft.
RIDGEFIELD, CT — Ridgefield police charged two men in separate identity theft investigations, including one involving a reported $27,000 theft from a resident’s bank account, according to a police news release.
In one case, a Ridgefield resident reported Feb. 11 that $27,000 had been taken from the resident’s bank account without their knowledge, police said. The resident also received a fake ID in the mail that had the resident’s name and address, but another man’s photo.
Police said the investigation identified the man in the photo as David J. Yorwerth, 60, of New Haven. Police said Yorwerth took part in an identity theft operation by obtaining the Ridgefield victim’s information and pretending to be the victim while making withdrawals from the victim’s bank account.
Police said Yorwerth used the fake ID to persuade banks that he was the Ridgefield resident. Police also said he signed bank withdrawal slips by forging the victim’s name at three separate bank branches in Brooklyn, New York.
An arrest warrant was obtained, and Yorwerth was arrested Aug. 19, police said. He was charged with first-degree forgery, two counts of identity theft, first-degree larceny and criminal impersonation. Police said he was held on $25,000 bond and transported to Danbury Superior Court on Aug. 20.
In a separate case, a Ridgefield resident reported April 18 that their vehicle had been entered overnight on Madeline Drive and that a wallet and bank cards had been stolen, police said.
Police said their investigation found that multiple transactions were made using the victim’s bank cards. An arrest warrant was obtained for Leo J. Salmon, 23, of Waterbury, who was processed and arraigned at Danbury Superior Court on Aug. 19.
Salmon was charged with third-degree identity theft, fifth-degree larceny, illegal taking of a payment card and illegal use of a payment card, according to police. No bond amount was listed in the release.
