June 8, 1999
18 YEAR OLD WOMAN CHARGED WITH DEFRAUDING AMERICAN EXPRESS OF MORE THAN $200,000 BY STEALING REPLACEMENT CARDS AND USING THEM TO GET CASH ADVANCES
Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today the arrest of an Astoria woman who allegedly targeted the American Express Company with a scheme to steal replacement credit cards which were being sent via Airborne Express to card holders in Queens.
District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Victoria Tchistiakova, 18, of 31-66 43rd Street, Astoria. She has been charged with Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and Criminal Impersonation. If convicted, the defendant could face up to 15 years in prison.
According to District Attorney Brown, the defendant allegedly acquired at least 20 American Express replacement credit cards by posing as an American Express representative, calling Airborne Express, claiming that American Express' computers were down and asking for information on envelopes sent from their Nebraska card center. It is alleged that, working with others, the defendant would either pick up the envelopes from Airborne or intercept them as they were being delivered to addresses in Queens. The cards were then allegedly activated from the defendant's home phone and she then allegedly used the cards to collect more than $200,000 in cash advances from ATMs.
Detective Carolyn Shabunia and Joseph Croce of the NYPD Special Frauds Unit, which is under the supervision of Lieutenant Robert Groth and the overall supervision of Inspector Robert Martin, Commanding Officer of the Special Investigations Division, US Postal Inspection Service Investigator Robert Fraterigo under the supervision of Postal Inspections team leader Leonard Kennedy and Investigator Neil Monaco of American Express assisted the Queens District Attorney's Office in making the arrest.
Assistant District Attorney Diane Peress of the Queens District Attorney's Economic Crimes Bureau, under the supervision of Bureau Chief Michael J. Mansfield and the overall supervision of Robert D. Alexander, is in charge of the case.
It should be noted that an arrest is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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