NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Brooklyn man pleaded guilty Tuesday to fraud charges after he stole thousands of dollars through the identity theft of an elderly New Yorker, prosecutors said.
Otis Barnes, 29, faces 1.5 to 3 years in prison on a felony charge of grand larceny after he stole the identity of a 90-year-old Staten Island man to cash several forged U.S. Postal Service money orders in the victim’s name during a four-month period back in 2018, according to the office of NY Attorney General Letitia James.
“Fraud is never acceptable, but it is all the more heinous for an individual to steal the identity of an elderly man to line his own pocket,” Attorney General James said in a statement. “Today’s conviction should serve as a message to all that we will not allow illegal schemes like this to go unchecked, and that we will hold those accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Prosecutors said Barnes possessed a fake New York driver’s license that displayed his image along with the victim’s name, address and date of birth in order to cash forged USPS money orders in the victim’s name.
But before cashing the orders, Barnes used a banking app to deposit the same money orders in his own name into his own bank account.
He would then alter the name on the order to the victim and take it to local post offices, where he would cash them for a second time before he got caught, prosecutors said.
“Mr. Barnes thought his low-tech money order scam would let him fly below the radar and avoid attention and detection of his crimes,” said USPS Inspector in Charge Philip R. Bartlett. “He was wrong; and today’s plea is recognition by Mr. Barnes that Postal Inspectors and their law enforcement partners have no tolerance for this behavior and will aggressively investigate crime regardless of its scope or complexity.”
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