Revere man charged with attempted larceny of over $20,000 by check
BOSTON, April 14, 2024 – A Revere man was arraigned last week in Brighton BMC on multiple fraud charges after police linked him to transforming a $26.36 check, originally meant for a utility bill, into an attempted $20,040 payout for himself, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
YERSON YEPES, aka YEISON YEPES PUERTA, 38, of Revere was charged with uttering counterfeit note, forgery of bank note, and attempted larceny by check.
Judge David Donnelly ordered Yepes held on $750 bail. Yepes is due back in court on May 1 for a pre-trial hearing.
On October 17, Boston police took a walk-in fraud report from the victim, 70, who reported mailing a check in the amount of $26.36 made payable to National Grid. The victim mailed the check on September 23 in a United States Postal Services mailbox at the intersection of Franklin and Holton streets in Brighton. The victim on October 17 received a phone call from her bank notifying her that the same check was made out to a Yeison Puerta in the amount of $20,040. The victim informed officers that she never wrote that check and she is not familiar with anyone by that name. The check had not been paid out pending the bank’s investigation.
The victim provided investigators with a copy of the forged check, dated October 2. Investigators observed a number placed over another indistinguishable number in the dollar amount box on the check. The rear of the check was endorsed with the name Yeison Yepes Puerta.
Investigators were able to trace the destination account to a Santander Bank account belonging to Yeison Yepes Puerta.
Based on the information provided by the bank, investigators obtained a warrant for Yepes’s arrest.
Hayden said his office has seen recent increases in check theft and check washing schemes.
“Some fraud attempts are elaborate and sophisticated and some are rather basic, but they’re all designed to do one thing: separate people from their money. The safest way to mail a check is to hand it directly to a postal worker or bring it to the post office. Paying bills online is the most secure of all. Fortunately, here, the bank discovered the fraud early on and was able to prevent a large amount from being lost,” Hayden said.
With financial exploitation and abuse on the rise, District Attorney Hayden in 2024 launched the Suffolk County Fraud Fighters, a multi-agency effort to help residents, particularly older adults, recognize common scams and signs of financial fraud. The next Fraud Fighters presentation will be held on April 24, at 4:00 p.m. at the Neighborhood Network Center at 434 Warren Street in Boston.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications