The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

New Castle News

An Incidence of Identity Theft in the Town of New Castle

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On December 4, 2011 the New Castle Police Department received a report from a New Castle resident regarding credit card fraud.  “They discovered some unusual unauthorized charges on their credit card,” Detective Sergeant James Wilson related.

Approximately $1000 worth of goods had been charged on the card at the end of November.   The Department’s investigation found that the credit card had been used at several stores in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties.  No purchases were made online.  After viewing surveillance videos at the stores, the identity of the suspect was revealed:  Luis Morocho of 141 Fremont Street, Peekskill.  The card was confiscated while he was working as a carpenter at the residence in town.

Morocho came in voluntarily on January 10 and admitted his culpability.  He was arraigned in Town Court by Judge Kraus and charged with identity theft and grand larceny.  Bail was set at $25,000 and the suspect is being held at the Westchester County Jail.

On January 12, 2012 Morocho returned to court and appeared before Justice Zuckerman.  His lawyer’s request for an adjournment until February 2, was granted.  Zuckerman noted that Morocho’s last offense was for DWI in 2009.

Today, when the subject of identity theft is raised, it is widely assumed that the illegal activity occurred online.  This incident falls under the same category because the suspect “assumed the identity of the owner of the card,” Wilson said.

According to Wilson, identity theft is “probably the biggest crime in the country.”  “Be very diligent in checking your bank and credit card statements for any suspicious activity,” he advised.

Test for a Cause!

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It’s SAT Crunch Time!
Take a Practice SAT Test and Give Back–Sunday February 12th at the Chappaqua Library
Open to all Westchester high school students

WHAT: Students have a valuable opportunity to prepare for the SAT by taking a real practice exam in an authentic “test-like” environment. This is a benefit event sponsored by the nonprofit,Graph It Forward Today (GIFT) which strives to create educational opportunities for high school students nationwide by providing the essential academic tools for students limited not by ability, but by means.

**Admission is $15–All proceeds will be donated to provide SAT/ACT test prep services and graphing calculators to disadvantaged students.

WHEN/WHERE: 
Sunday February 12th, 2012
1PM-5PM
Chappaqua Library
195 South Greeley Ave, Chappaqua NY

WHO: Graph It Forward Today (GIFT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to creating educational opportunities for high school students nationwide. All funds donated to GIFT will be used solely for the cost of graphing calculators, batteries, and packaging. For more information please call 1-800-888-0692, email nina@graphitforward.com or visit www.graphitforward.org

Music Conservatory of Westchester’s 5th Annual Tango Evening & Marco Quartero’s 80’th Birthday

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The Music Conservatory of Westchester will host the 5th Annual Tango Evening featuring the renowned Tango Quartero. The performance will feature original tangos composed by Marco Valentino Quartero (piano), accompanied by Kathy Adorney (violin, viola), Chris Wessman (cello), Nancy Goodman (flute), Clayton Heydorn (piano) and Gary Mayer (piano, clarinet). Marco Quartero will also be celebrating his 80thbirthday and 11 years as an MCW student.

WHEN:   Friday, February 10, 2012  7:00 p.m.

WHERE:    Music Conservatory of Westchester  216 Central Avenue White Plains, N.Y.

www.musicconservatoryonline.org

Beware

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$4,500 and $2,500.  These large sums were wired separately by two senior citizens of the town of New Castle on Friday, January 27.  Both amounts were extorted as the result of a scam.

In one incident, a senior citizen received a call telling him that his son had been kidnapped in Bolivia.  By employing a ruse, the name of the son was extracted from the senior.  The caller referred to the son by name, lending an air of veracity to the scam.  The senior hastened to Western Union in Mount Kisco and sent $4,500 to Bolivia.  Fortunately, in this case, when the senior confirmed that the information he had been given was false, Western Union was able to cancel the money transfer because the sum had not yet been collected by the designated recipient in Bolivia.

On the same day, another elderly gentleman received a phone call that sounded quite similar.  He was told that his grandson had been in a car accident in Mexico City.  The caller said that if $2,500 was not sent immediately, terrible consequences would befall the grandson.  This caller used the grandson’s actual name which persuaded the victim to send the money.

Detective/Sergeant James Wilson of the New Castle Police Department explained that this type of scam began on the internet.  Emails are sent to unsuspecting family or friends, claiming that someone they know desperately needs money right away.  The two incidents in town occurred solely on the telephone.

“If you receive a phone call about a relative who needs money, try to confirm it,”  Wilson cautioned.  “These people are very convincing on the telephone,” he added.

Rape Case in the Town of New Castle

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By Sarah Ellen Berman

On January 1, the New Castle Police Department received a call from a 26-year-old woman.  The call was placed shortly after the victim was raped in the home where she worked in the Town of New Castle.

With the assistance of the Village of Ossining Police Department, the New Castle Police Department located the alleged perpetrator of the crime at his residence on Yale Avenue in Ossining.  On January 5, 25-year-old Nestor Alejandro Guaman Guartambel was charged with rape in the first degree.  He was arraigned in front of Justice Zuckerman in the Town Court of New Castle on the same day and ordered to be held without bail at the Westchester County Jail.

The following week on January 12, Guaman Guartambel, clad in a bright orange regulation uniform marked WCDOC – Westchester County Department of Correction, waited in the prisoners’ box at Town Court.  Accompanied by an interpreter on his left and his counsel on the right, he appeared again before Justice Zuckerman.  His lawyer’s request for an all purpose adjournment was granted and the suspect was ordered to return to court on February 2.  Guaman Guartambel’s lawyer requested a copy of the rap sheet and was told that this would be provided.

Although rape crimes are extremely unusual in town, there have been several cases of sexual abuse.  Statistics on previous rape cases were unavailable.

Locally, the overall crime rate is fairly low.  Burglaries constitute the highest number of incidents in any given year.  “People have a false sense of security,” Public Information Officer, Detective/Sargent James Wilson related.  “It’s not necessarily true that nothing ever happens here,” he added.