Plea Deal In $250K Check Fraud Scheme That Defrauded Union: DA

ORANGE COUNTY, NY — A massive fraud case has ended in guilty pleas that will result in prison time for those involved.

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced on Thursday that five Newburgh residents pled guilty in Orange County Court to a wide-ranging fraud scheme that took place from March, 2021 through April, 2022, resulting in the loss of over $250,000 from area businesses.

30-year-old Turgaud Dubuisson, 26-year-old Anthony Dubuisson and 26-year-old Marlon Tabora pled guilty to second degree grand larceny. 22-year-old Jishid Forrest pled guilty to second degree criminal possession of a forged instrument. 46-year-old Robert Geter also pled guilty to unspecified charges.

The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in December, at which point prosecutors will ask for the Dubuissons to be sentenced to three and one third to ten years in prison, Forrest to be sentenced to two to four years in prison and Tabora to be sentenced to five years probation for their roles in the scheme.

According to court documents, from March, 2021 through April, 2022, the defendants were involved in a scheme of depositing altered and/or fraudulent checks, belonging to Ironworkers Local 417 and other area businesses, as well as individuals, into different bank accounts, and then withdrawing cash from those fraudulent deposits from multiple banks. The defendants together created fake business accounts for the check deposits. The total amount of forged and altered checks from Ironworkers Local 417 is over $190,000 and the total amount of checks deposited from all victims is over $250,000.

The Town of Newburgh Police Department led the investigation with assistance from the Town of New Windsor Police Department, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office Investigators, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and the NYS Department of Financial Services.

"The admitted conduct of these defendants is as abhorrent as it is brazen," Hoovler said. "Sophisticated fraud that targets unsuspecting victims requires careful and dedicated investigation like was done in this case. The members of Ironworkers Local 417, and all victims of fraud, should know that my Office will do everything in our power to identify and hold accountable those responsible for their victimization. I commend the collaborative work amongst our law enforcement partners that helped to see this complicated case through to its rightful conclusion."

Assistant District Attorney Alexis Gregory and Chief Trial Assistant District Attorney Richard Moran are prosecuting the case.