The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
Government workers, ex-NYPD cop part of identity-stealing scheme to bilk $1M after ghost gun factory probed: prosecutors
“We see a clear link between those engaging in violent crimes and traditional white-collar fraud at the same time,” Bragg said in a statement.
nypost.com
Government workers, ex-NYPD cop part of identity-stealing scheme to bilk $1M after ghost gun factory probed: prosecutors
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Published March 7, 2024
Updated March 7, 2024, 10:05 p.m. ET
A probe into an East Village ghost gun factory uncovered a massive scheme involving 10 government workers, including a disgraced ex-NYPD officer, who conspired to steal more than $1 million by taking advantage of New York City’s needy, prosecutors alleged Thursday.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office slapped 18 people with a series of charges from four indictments that included conspiracy to manufacture ghost guns, conspiracy to rip off the state’s pandemic benefits program and residential burglary that all stemmed from a probe that got underway in 2022.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement the fraud scheme was largely conducted by city workers, including several from the Department of Homeless Services, who “abused their position of public trust for personal gain.”
4 Charde Baker appeared in Manhattan criminal court on Thursday. Steven Hirsch
Other public servants caught up in the legal trouble included an NYPD school safety officer, an MTA worker, a NYCHA staffer, and a pair of US Postal Service employees.
Former NYPD officer and current DHS staffer Charde Baker, 35, along with an unnamed co-conspirator and other agency workers, are accused of stealing the identities of unsuspecting victims, including homeless residents under the city’s care, to take in hundreds of thousands of dollars through fraud.