94th Precinct
Greenpoint–Northside
Fake cousin
A cruel con artist scammed $5,000 from an elderly woman by pretending to be her cousin from Poland at her Newel Avenue home on Feb. 14.
The victim told police that she received four phone calls from a man who said he was her cousin from Poland. He told her that he had been in an accident and asked her to send him $20,000 cash for bail. He instructed her to give money to his son, who he was going to send to her house.
Cops say the phony cousin’s fraudulent son came to her house between Driggs and Nassau avenues at 2:50 pm, and she handed over $5,000. Afterward, she called her actual cousin in Poland, who said he hadn’t called and hadn’t sent anyone to pick up money.
American robbery
Police arrested two men who they say strong-armed 22 pairs of denim jeans from a fashionable store on N. Sixth Street on Feb. 19.
Clerks at the shop between Berry Street and Wythe Avenue told police that one of the suspects came in at 7:40 pm and grabbed 22 pairs of jeans, dodged workers who tried to stop him, and got into a black vehicle that drove off.
Strong-arm robbery
A cadre of men invaded in Ash Street auto parts store, stealing cash and the owner’s personal property on Feb. 23.
The victim told police that four men burst into his store at the corner of McGuinness Boulevard at 2:30 pm.
“We are not going to hurt you,” one of the masked men told him.
One of them pointed a gun at him while the other three duct taped the victim by the hands and legs. They then stole his cash, jewelry, a cellphone, a debit card, and a watch.
Shady co-worker
Police cuffed a Wythe Avenue hotel worker after his colleague accused him of stealing and using his credit card on Feb. 15.
The victim told police he was on his shift as a server at the hotel between N. 11th and N. 12th streets until 12:45 am. When he finished, he found that $120 in cash and his debit card were missing from inside his coat. He asked the bank for a copy of his transactions and found that there was a charge of $57.80 that had been used at a Smith Street diner. When he viewed the club’s security tape, he saw his co-worker snatching his belongings, police said.
— Danielle Furfaro
