Atlantic Beach Couple Charged With Identity Theft Claim They’re Victims Of A ‘Calculated Scheme’

ATLANTIC BEACH, NY — An Atlantic Beach couple was indicted last week after being accused of stealing over $250,000 from an 84-year-old widower in a real estate scheme that left the woman's home at risk of foreclosure. In comments made Monday, the couple’s defense attorney says there’s more to those charges than meets the eye.

According to prosecutors, 65-year-old George Frenkel and 51-year-old Eda Frenkel were indicted on charges of second-degree grand larceny and first-degree identity theft in connection with a $500,000 home equity line of credit (HELOC) loan secured against George’s mother Ann’s house.

Prosecutors said the couple applied for the line of credit in March of 2021, attaching to that application a power of attorney document that had been signed in January of the same year.

Prosecutors said George and Eda listed Ann’s date of birth, name, personal information and e-signature on the application for the line of credit, but listed an email address belonging to George as the point of contact. The power of attorney document, prosecutors said, had also been e-signed by Ann, and gave George power to act on her behalf.

Once the $500,000 line of credit was secured in June of 2021, prosecutors said George and Eda “siphoned more than $250,000 in unauthorized HELOC loan proceeds for their personal use.”

According to prosecutors, George and Eda deposited almost two-dozen checks worth over $250,000 from the home equity account into Eda’s personal account over a four year period, ending in August of 2025 when the account was closed. There was still an outstanding balance of $250,000 on the loan at closing time, which leaves Ann’s house at risk for foreclosure, prosecutors said.

As for the money pulled from the home equity account, prosecutors said George and Eda spent it paying off credit card bills and financing construction on their own home, also in Atlantic Beach.

In comments made to patch Monday, George and Eda’s attorney, Aaron Twersky, said “the facts will come out…and the truth will finally be revealed who the true victims really are.”

According to Twersky, the Frenkel family has been embroiled in a “complicated and adversarial family trust and estate dispute” in civil court for some time.

“As the civil docket alleges, Kenneth Frenkel and his mother Ann Frenkel engaged in a calculated scheme to misappropriate trust assets carried out through the strategic removal of trustees who challenged their embezzlement, among other methods,” Twersky said. “Kenneth Frenkel, Goerge's [sic] brother, and a practicing attorney himself, is now using the District Attorney's Office as another part of this scheme.”

When reached for comment Monday, Kenneth Frenkel said he had no comment on the accusation of a “calculated scheme," and that he "requests that the criminal process against George and Eda take its course."

Whether they were the victims of a calculated scheme or not, George and Eda were arrested July 2 and are due back in court August 7, prosecutors said. If they’re found guilty as charged, the couple could face up to 15 years in prison, prosecutors said.

“George and Eda Frenkel exploited George’s 84-year-old widowed mother and left her on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars through their alleged fraudulent actions,” Donnelly said. “In secretly taking out a line of credit on her home, this couple allegedly funneled money to themselves for years to support their lifestyle and left the woman’s property on the brink of foreclosure. It’s sad to see someone treat their elderly mother this way, and my office will pursue justice in this disturbing case.”