Crown Heights man accused of stealing 178 identities in $1M heist attempt
A 28-year-old from Crown Heights was charged in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Wednesday on a 229-count indictment for stealing the identities of 178 people in an attempt to rob the Pentagon Federal Credit Union of more than $1 million.
Joseph Batrony Jr.’s long list of charges include grand larceny, scheming to defraud, identity theft, falsifying business records, money laundering and unlawful possession of personal identification.
Prosecutors alleged that from Sept. 2017 to May 2018, Batrony used stolen personal information from the 178 individuals to open accounts and apply for loans and credit cards in their names before transferring the money to his own accounts or others associated with him. He exclusively used Pentagon Federal Credit Union, which is located in McLean, Virginia, for his scheme.