Upper West Side Concierge Used Rent Checks For Forgery Scheme: DA

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The concierge of an Upper West Side high-rise building and five other people are facing charges for a scheme that resulted in more than $62,000 being stolen using forged checks, the Manhattan District Attorney's office announced Wednesday.

Gabriel Molina, 32, was indicted Wednesday on a number of charges including grand larceny, identity theft, scheming to defraud and possession of a forged instrument for his role in a "card cracking" scheme. Molina, who was responsible for receiving rent checks at an Upper West Side building, would photo the checks and send them to 23-year-old accomplice Frayluis Henriquez to create forgeries, prosecutors said.

When investigators searched Molina's apartment they found a laptop with check-manufacturing software, blank check stock and a firearm, prosecutors said.

After using the stolen information to create forged checks, Molina and accomplices would use social media to attract others into the scheme, prosecutors said. Ashley Bautista, 22, posted ads to platforms such as Snapchat offering people cash in exchange for use of their debit cards, prosecutors said.

When people agreed to be part of the scheme, Justin Simon, 22, Jarod Bailey, 21 and a third person called "JD Glasses," would be sent as runners to pick up the debit cards. The forged checks would be deposited into accounts of people who lent their cards and the cards would then be used to withdraw the money at ATM machines, prosecutors said.

Between August and September of 2017 the schemers were able to steal $62,550 using the fraudulent checks, prosecutors said.

"'Card cracking’ scammers with large followings on Snapchat and other platforms are luring people into their schemes by showing off designer merchandise, luxury cars, and stacks of cash,” District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., said in a statement. "Social media users who see these posts promising quick, fast money should know that they are scams, they are illegal, and those who coordinate and participate in them may find themselves facing criminal charges like the ones contained in today’s indictment."

Here's how each member of the scheme was charged:

Jarod Bailey

• Identity Theft in the Second Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
• Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 1 count

Ashley Bautista

• Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 2 counts
• Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class D felony, 1 count

JD Glasses

• Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 2 counts
• Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 7 counts
• Identity Theft in the Second Degree, a class E felony, 2 counts
• Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
• Unlawful Possession of Personal Identification Information in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 1 count

Frayluis Henriquez

• Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 5 counts
• Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 52 counts
• Identity Theft in the Second Degree, a class E felony, 5 counts
• Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
• Unlawful Possession of Personal Identification Information in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 5 counts

Gabriel Molina

• Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 5 counts
• Criminal Possession of Forgery Devices, a class D felony, 2 counts
• Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 52 counts
• Identity Theft in the Second Degree, a class E felony, 5 counts
• Criminal Possession of a Firearm, a class E felony, 1 count
• Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
• Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 1 count
• Unlawful Possession of Personal Identification Information in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 5 counts

Justin Simon

• Grand Larceny in the Third Degree, a class D felony, 1 count
• Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 1 count
• Identity Theft in the Second Degree, a class E felony, 1 count
• Unlawful Possession of Personal Identification Information in the Third Degree, a class A misdemeanor, 1 count

Photo courtesy Manhattan District Attorney