Hudson County Men Charged In 'Scheme' Against Westfield Senior

NORTH JERSEY — Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro announced Wednesday that his department has arrested two Hudson County men on charges related to what he said was "an ongoing fraudulent scheme being perpetuated against an elderly Westfield resident."

A release from the Police Department explained that "the victim thought she was providing money to an arrested relative through an attorney," and noted that this is an increasingly "commonplace" scheme.

In fact, a similar scheme —referred to as some as the "Grandparent Scam " — recently cost a Summit senior $9,000; read more about that here.

Brandon Reyes, age 27, of Union City, and Walter Rosario, age 28, of Jersey City, were both arrested in Westfield on Tuesday at approximately 11:16 a.m. by detectives and uniformed patrol officers, police said.

The release said that they were arrested "as they attempted to further defraud the victim of an additional $40,000 in cash monies. She had already been defrauded of $93,000."

Reyes and Rosario were both charged with theft by deception, a third degree crime, and criminal attempt, a third degree time.

Reyes was also charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, a fourth degree crime, police said. Police said Reyes was in possession of a knife when arrested, and had another knife in the car he was operating when police arrested him.

Rosario was additionally charged with one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, as he "was found to be in possession of a spring-loaded knife while a passenger in the vehicle operated by Rosario at the time of his arrest," according to the release.

Battiloro said, “The amount of fraudulent activity occurring these days is overwhelming,” noting that such schemes are becoming common. “Criminals are persistently targeting our most vulnerable residents," he added. "They all need to be fully aware of this fraudulent scheme and others to avoid becoming victims. If you are suspicious, before you transfer any monies, contact the Police Department."

Police said Reyes and Rosario were transported to the Westfield Police Department, where they were both processed, served with complaint-summonses, and released from custody pending a future court date.

The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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