Man Arrested For Identity Theft & The Victim Is The Bedford Hills FD

BEDFORD, NY — A Middletown man is accused of fraudulently ordering a replacement credit card in the name of the Bedford Hills Fire District and police say he went on a shopping spree.

On December 10, the Town of Bedford Police Department took a report from the Bedford Hills Fire District who, while completing their routine credit card statement reviews, identified multiple unauthorized charges not made by anyone from the fire district. The Bedford Hills Fire District then discovered that a replacement credit card was fraudulently ordered by an unknown person.

The Bedford PD Detective Bureau, in conjunction with the Bedford Hills Fire District, created a list of fraudulent transactions, locations and times. Detectives then began investigating each transaction made at physical locations throughout the Hudson Valley. Using surveillance video, facial recognition software and license plate reader data, detectives were able to identify a suspect.

On Thursday, Bedford Police detectives arrested Edward Johnson Jr. He was arraigned in Town of Bedford Court and released on his own recognizance with a future court date. The 41-year-old faces felony identity theft and grand larceny charges.