Lindenhurst, NY - May 3, 2018 - Suffolk County Police today arrested a man who scammed a Kansas woman out of cash after falsely claiming her grandson was in jail.
Abel Hernandez knocked on the front door of a residence on North Kings Avenue in Lindenhurst at approximately 9:45 a.m. and asked the female homeowner for a package that allegedly belonged to him. The female resident became suspicious and called police after Hernandez was unable to properly identify the name on the package. When police arrived, they discovered the package contained $9,900 cash. On Saturday, April 28, 2018, a separate package had been delivered at the same residence and it was given to Hernandez by another resident after Hernandez claimed the package belonged to him.
An investigation by First Squad detectives revealed the money belonged to a 77-year-old female from Riley, Kansas. Detectives worked closely with the Riley County Police Department and discovered the victim was told her grandson was in jail in New York for driving while intoxicated. The caller claimed to be an employee of the Public Defense Department and requested $6,500 to keep the victim’s grandson out of jail. After receiving the first package, another call was made to the victim claiming the bail amount had increased and the victim sent an additional $9,900 in cash. The second package, containing $9,900 was intercepted today by First Precinct officers. When Hernandez was arrested, he had $5,300 in his pocket from the original package.
Detectives recovered more than $15,000 of the victim’s money. Abel Hernandez, 21, Farmingdale, was charged with two counts of Grand Larceny. He will be held at the First Precinct and was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on May 2.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.