The Brunswick Police Department arrested three New York men on Friday after they were allegedly found with false identities during an investigation into attempted fraud at banks in Wiscasset and Boothbay Harbor.
At around 1:30 p.m., the Wiscasset Police Department responded to reports of attempted bank fraud at the First National Bank in Wiscasset.
A male suspect reportedly attempted to impersonate a customer and presented bank tellers with a fraudulent military ID containing the customer’s personal information.
The suspect then attempted to withdraw $6,700 from the customer’s account but failed to answer the security questions and left the bank on foot without the cash.
Bank employees described the suspect as wearing a white leather jacket while using a cane and an earpiece. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department identified his tactics as typical of organized fraud schemes.
According to law enforcement, the same suspect attempted an identical transaction at a Boothbay Harbor bank thirty minutes prior, using the same customer’s information.
The bank shared a security photo of the suspect with law enforcement in the area, and the suspect was observed shortly thereafter entering a black SUV parked near a Brunswick bank.
The Brunswick Police Department stopped the vehicle and identified its three occupants as George Mendez, 66, Miguel Molinar, 35, and Leigh A. Jackson, 34, all from Brooklyn, New York.
They were all allegedly found in possession of a variety of false identification, including forged passports, military IDs, and driver’s licenses.
Police also found notes with sensitive customer information, leading them to believe that there may be more victims.
All three men were arrested and transported to the Two Bridges Regional Jail and face charges of theft by deception, misuse of identification, and criminal conspiracy.
They are currently being held on $10,000 bails.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, along with the Boothbay Harbor, Wiscasset, Brunswick, and Freeport Police Departments, all assisted in the investigation.
