NEW YORK — A suspected theft vehicle stop on Long Island led to a litany of charges against the 35-year-old man who was driving, and investigators want the public to know there may be unsuspecting victims out there.
Joseph Rubino, of College Point, was charged Wednesday with criminal possession of stolen property and other crimes, including unlawful possession of personal identification and a skimmer following a vehicle stop Tuesday, after he was arrested following a traffic stop. traffic.
Old Westbury police say they identified the minivan he was driving as one reported stolen in Suffolk County a month earlier and coordinated the stop.
Later, while processing Rubino and the vehicle, investigators allege they found New York State driver’s licenses in several people’s names, a credit card skimming device, and debit cards in several names.
Police believe Rubino used a website and cryptocurrency to illegally purchase personal information from unsuspecting victims, targeting those with high credit scores who live in affluent areas. He allegedly used the information to obtain driver’s licenses and then open new lines of credit in the victims’ names. He purchased cellphones with those lines of credit, police allege, and resold them through an online app, authorities say.
Investigators say victims may not yet know they have been victimized. The Old Westbury Police Department is working with other law enforcement agencies to identify potential victims. They did not provide a total estimate.
Police say the search process also turned up a “number of substances” that tested positive in field tests such as fentanyl and methamphetamine. Rubino faces multiple counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in addition to the other charges.
Information about a possible attorney for him was not immediately available. Rubino is expected to be arraigned Thursday.
2024-02-28 20:57:10
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