GOSHEN – The ringleader of a gang that ran an identity-theft ring
that stole over $457,000 from customers of the Wachovia Bank, now Wells
Fargo, in Newburgh, was convicted in Orange County Court.
Tyrone “Reece” Lee, 29, was found guilty Friday following
a trial in Orange County Court, of all 15 counts including grand larceny
and identity theft.
Lee is already serving a 4 ½ to nine year prison term for operating
a similar identity-theft scheme in Westchester County, faces up to 20
years in prison on this conviction. He is scheduled to be sentenced in
April.
The evidence at trial showed that Lee initiated his scheme by recruiting
his girlfriend, Nadia Figueroa, to secure a teller job at the bank. Once
hired at the Newburgh branch on North Plank Road, he directed her on how
and what customer data to steal, instructing her to search for common
names and to copy specific information including account numbers, social
security numbers and signature cards.
Many of the accounts victimized were selected by a practice known as “name
surfing,” where Figueroa illegally searched Wachovia’s customer
data base for common names, states of residence, high account balances.
Using the stolen account information and forged licenses, Lee withdrew
funds from 77 customer accounts at branches in Nassau County, New York
City, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. In total,
Lee and his co-conspirators stole some $457,000 between July 2010 and
August 2011.
The jury found Lee guilty of one county of grand larceny, 13 counts of
identity theft, one count of scheme to defraud, all as felonies.
Earlier this year, Lee pled guilty to the entire 37-county indictment
in Westchester County, including several counts of grand larceny and identity
theft and was sentenced to 4 ½ to nine year in prison.
Figueroa pled guilty to grand larceny and was sentenced to two to six
years in prison.
Their three co-conspirators in the Westchester scheme also pled guilty.
