SPRING LAKE — The Spring Lake Police Department criminally charged three Plainfield residents on May 11 for their involvement in a “Grandparent Bail Scam” that occurred during 2022.
On September 13, 2022 Spring Lake police officers responded to a report that an elderly resident believed she had been the victim of a fraud, stated the Spring Lake Police Department in a press release.
According to the police department, the victim stated she had received a call from someone purporting to be her grandson claiming that he had been arrested.
The “grandson” pleaded that he needed thousands of dollars in bail money in order to be released from jail. An individual, falsely representing himself as an attorney, then began speaking on the phone. The “attorney” notified the victim that if she agreed to help, he would send a courier to her house to retrieve the bail money. She agreed and a short time later, a female showed up to her residence and collected several thousand dollars in “bail money” from the victim.
After an eight-month, extensive investigation in coordination with the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and the South Plainfield Police Department, three suspects were identified as having participated in this incident.
Lizbet Martinez, 22, is charged with Theft by Deception, Money Laundering, Impersonation, and Conspiracy; Christopher Olivio-Hernandez, 21, is charged with Theft by Deception, Money Laundering and Conspiracy; and Jennifer Rosario-Felix, 21, is charged with Conspiracy to Commit Theft by Deception.
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