New York Man Sentenced for Grand Larceny Involving PenFed
Prosecutors say Joseph Batrony stole and attempted to steal more than $1.1 million.
Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun sentenced a New York man to three to nine years in state prison for stealing and attempting to steal more than $1.1 million from the $32.5 billion Pentagon Federal Credit Union in McLean, Va., Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said last week.
Joseph Batrony Jr., 31, of Crown Heights, pleaded guilty to grand larceny in August.
He admitted to using stolen personal identifying information of more than 178 members to apply for loans and credit cards in their names and then transferred money to his accounts. Batrony stole more than $320,000 from PenFed and attempted to steal more than $870,000 from September 2017 to May 2018, the DA’s office said.
Between September and Oct. 31, 2017, Batrony filled out hundreds of online applications and made or attempted transfers of money, including 59 applications or transfers on Oct. 27 and 42 applications made on Sept. 29.
After Oct. 31, PenFed blocked the remainder of his attempted money transfers, including several online applications Batrony filled out in his own name or using the alias “Aaron Green.” The accounts he attempted to open used a Brooklyn address and telephone number associated with Batrony. DA investigators also found that he used a mail drop service to receive mail and packages in the name of “Aaron Green.”
In April 2018, PenFed contacted the United States Secret Service regarding the account applications made in the name of “Aaron Green,” as well as the connections PenFed had discovered among the hundreds of other fraudulent account applications.
Secret Service agents determined the information “Aaron Green” submitted to open an account and apply for a $24,000 loan from PenFed included a fake New York State driver’s license with a photo that matched Batrony and a counterfeit Social Security card that belonged to a juvenile in Idaho, according to the DA.
Batrony transferred or attempted to transfer funds to 10 financial accounts in his name, in the name of Aaron Green or into accounts in the names of relatives, friends or “money mules” — people who would allow Batrony to use their account in exchange for a payment, the DA said.
The identity theft victims were primarily residents of Western states. Their personal identifying information included their names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, which appeared to be among those stolen from past data breaches that targeted various institutions, according to the DA. Though Batrony obtained and used the victims’ information in his criminal scheme, he has not been implicated in the commission of the data breaches.