More Attempted Bank Fraud Reported At Newtown Branches

NEWTOWN, PA —An Indiana man has been charged with fraud and forgery after he was caught at a Newtown Township bank trying to withdraw money from a victim's account using a counterfeit license, police said.

The incident happened March 12 just after 1 p.m. at the Citizen’s Bank on West Road. An employee told police that a man, later identified as Michael Pearce, 32, of Indianapolis, attempted to deposit a $1,600 check and subsequently withdraw $4,500 from the victim’s account.

He had already attempted a similar transaction at the Citizen’s Bank branch on Cambridge Lane, police said.

Officers responded to the bank and took Pearce into custody. In an interview with investigators, Pearce said he was picked up in Connecticut by an accomplice who provided him with a counterfeit driver’s license, a bank check and a victim’s personal information.

That accomplice, who was not identified by police, then drove Pearce to the bank branches in Pennsylvania for the purpose of withdrawing fraudulent funds from the victim’s account.

He has been charged with two counts each of forgery, access device fraud, and identity theft — all felonies.

Pearce was arraigned and sent to the Bucks County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail, set at 10 percent of $75,000 bail. As of Thursday morning, he remained jailed, court documents show. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 25.

Last month, a group of fraudsters were caught attempting to withdraw funds from TD Bank accounts at Newtown branches, police said. An arrest warrant has been issued for a New York man in connection with that case.

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