New Canaan Police on Feb. 27 arrested a 37-year-old Bronx, N.Y. man by warrant after determining that he\u2019d pretended to be a Citibank employee to steal $9,000 from a 76-year-old Heritage Hill Road woman last fall.<\/p>\n
Officers Nolan Heintz and Roy Adams met the victim at home on Oct. 15, according to an affidavit from Heintz that forms the bulk of an arrest warrant application signed Feb. 11 by state Superior Court judge Bruce Hudock. There, police learned that she has been phoned the day before by an unknown man who told her he was a Citibank employee \u201cand he asked her about some transactions [she] may have recently made,\u201d Heintz said in the affidavit, obtained by NewCanaanite.com through a public records request.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe suspect listed a $1,000 and a $2,000 transaction as the recent transactions,\u201d it said. \u201c[The victim] responded that she had not made those transactions. The suspect followed up by stating he was trying to protect her and requested she send him $9,000 to move into a separate account. The suspect advised her to promptly report to Citibank (175 Elm St., New Canaan) to deposit the money into his account.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The woman used her Citibank checking account for the deposit, putting the funds into an account under the name \u2018Caesar Alberto Payano.\u2019<\/p>\n
The application said, \u201cAfter making the deposit, [the victim] stated that the suspect kept calling her asking for more money. At this point, [the victim] saw that this was possibly a scam,\u201d blocked the suspect\u2019s phone and contacted Citibank.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The victim] stated the suspect did not have an accent and that \u2018he sounded normal,\u2019 \u201d the arrest warrant application said.<\/p>\n
On the same afternoon after interviewing the victim, officers discovered from bank officials that the suspect had received about $4,500 and spent it, though Citibank was able to block delivery of another approximately $4,400.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Through a search warrant, NCPD was able to identify the person who had opened the account where the victim\u2019s $9,000 had been directed as \u2018Cesar E. Alberto Payano\u2019 of the Bronx, the affidavit said.<\/p>\n
Police obtained a phone number and on Nov. 7, Meintz called it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA male answered the phone and said hello,\u201d the NCPD affidavit said. \u201cI introduced myself and asked if I was speaking to Cesar. The male stated that he only speaks Spanish. I told him I will call back when I have a Spanish speaking officer available.\u201d<\/p>\n
That happened about one week later when Officer Sebstian Obando phoned the number and Payano \u201cconfirmed\u201d all identifying information in the search warrant. Payano also provided his New York state driver\u2019s license number but \u201cdid not provide any explanation regarding the $9,000 deposit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, officers continued to check in with the victim to see whether any of the stolen funds had been returned (no).\u00a0<\/p>\n
During their investigation, police found that Payano had opened his Citibank account in September and provided not only his driver\u2019s license but also a Social Security card and green card, the arrest warrant application said. On the day the funds were stolen\u2014in fact just 19 minutes after the victim made the transfer\u2014 surveillance footage at the bank showed the suspect starting to make withdrawals from the receiving account. Police also investigated IP information to determine that a single mobile device had been used in making transactions via Citibank\u2019s mobile app, the application said.<\/p>\n
Citibank closed the suspect\u2019s account on Nov. 10 and, in December, credited the victim for about $4,400.<\/p>\n
The following month, on Jan. 30., Meintz tried to call Payano again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI identified myself as a New Canaan Police officer, at which time Payano responded with an inaudible statement and disconnected the call,\u201d the affidavit said. \u201cApproximately two minutes later, I placed a second call, [during] which Payano said hello before the line went silent. I placed a third call, during which Payano stated \u2018No English.\u2019 \u201d When Obando phoned back, the suspect didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n