Man Held Lost Wallet for Ransom: Rockland DA

Roberto Torres, 55, of 149 Lakeview Village in Spring Valley was convicted this week on charges relating to the demanding of ‘ransom’ for a stolen wallet.

On Sept. 2, 2014, a local woman mistakenly left her wallet, containing cash, credit cards and identification, at the Spring Valley Post Office.

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe said Torres contacted the victim and the Spring Valley Police Department the following day, claiming to have found the wallet outside the post office. Torres then attempted to ‘ransom’ the property back, refusing to return the wallet unless payment was made.

Spring Valley detectives soon encountered him in the area of 16 Lafayette St. Torres told investigators he had thrown the wallet into the Hudson River before attempting again to ‘ransom’ the wallet and its contents.

Detectives later recovered the stolen wallet and credit cards from under Torres’s bed, with approximately $60 missing.

Torres was convicted after a jury trial to six counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, class “E” Felonies.

Sentencing will be on Jan. 12, 2016. He faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michael Dugandzic.