$50,000 Illegally Withdrawn From Bank Account: Westport Police

WESTPORT, CT — A New York man accused of setting up a fraudulently joined bank account with an accomplice was arrested on identity theft and other charges over the weekend, according to Westport police.

In a news release, Police Lt. Dave Wolf said a resident told police on Dec. 24 approximately $50,000 had been illegally withdrawn from his bank account.

After further investigation, police determined Anthony Muniz, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and an accomplice impersonating the Westport resident went into a Brooklyn branch of Chase Bank on Dec. 18 and asked the teller to link Muniz's bank account to the Westport resident's account, Wolf said.

According to Wolf, the accomplice used a fake driver's license in the resident's name, which is how the pair is believed to have set up the fraudulently joined account.

Once the joint account was created, the pair had the teller transfer $50,000 from the resident's bank account into the joint account. After that transaction, Muniz withdrew $21,000 from the joint account, Wolf said.

The resident later received a fraud alert from Chase and the account was frozen, preventing any more money from being withdrawn, Wolf said.

According to Wolf, a police detective was able to positively identify Muniz using bank surveillance photos. Muniz turned himself in at police headquarters on a warrant Saturday.

Muniz was charged with first-degree larceny, second-degree identity theft, conspiracy to commit first-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit second-degree identity theft. He was released after posting a $75,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court later this month, Wolf said.