Jersey City Woman Indicted in $86K Debit Card Fraud Scheme Across New Jersey

Jersey City

By: Richard L. Smith

 A Jersey City woman has been indicted on multiple charges after authorities say she carried out a scheme using fake identification to steal tens of thousands of dollars from bank customers across New Jersey.

According to a statement released by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the Division of Criminal Justice, Ibelis Gonzalez, 46, is accused of obtaining fraudulent debit cards and using them to withdraw approximately $86,840 from victims’ accounts.
 

Prosecutors allege that between May 14 and June 10, 2024, Gonzalez visited multiple Citizens Bank branches throughout the state, presenting fictitious identification documents in the names of at least six victims in order to obtain replacement debit cards linked to their accounts.
 

Authorities say Gonzalez then conducted a series of in-person withdrawals totaling about $60,500. 

Additional funds were allegedly taken through ATM withdrawals and debit transactions using the fraudulently obtained cards, bringing the total loss to $86,840.

The scheme came to an end on June 10, 2024, when Gonzalez entered a Citizens Bank branch in Irvington and allegedly attempted to obtain another debit card using a victim’s identity. 

Bank employees contacted Irvington police, who responded and confiscated the identification she presented.

Officials said the identification, described as a Massachusetts,  contained Gonzalez’s photograph but was issued under a victim’s name and determined to be fictitious.

Gonzalez has been charged with second-degree theft by deception, second-degree impersonation and identity theft, and a third-degree offense involving false government documents.

If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in state prison on the second-degree charges and up to five years on the third-degree charge, along with significant fines.