GOSHEN – The Orange County Joint White-Collar Crimes Task Force has charged a 21-year-old homeless man with grand larceny by false pretenses by ripping off a woman to the tune of some $80,000.
The task force, formed by District Attorney David Hoovler and Sheriff Paul Arteta, investigated and charged Michael Benedetto for allegedly defrauding a woman he had been dating. It is alleged that he began seeing her after they met on the dating app “Bumble” in June 2020.
During that time, Benedetto told the victim he needed money for various reasons, including a sick dog, medical procedures, and moving costs due to a new home purchase.
Investigation revealed he had been lying to the woman in order to have her continue to give him money.
He was arrested on the morning of Wednesday, June 19 with assistance from police in Clarkstown, Spring Valley, State Police and the Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center. He was located in the parking lot of the Home Depot store in Nanuet where he was taken into custody.
He faces from five to 15 years in state prison if convicted. He was released without bail because of reforms to criminal justice law.
