A Georgia man who allegedly stole a woman’s identity to steal money from a Westchester credit union has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
McCoy used personal information from at least eight people to steal about $120,000 from seven banks last year, according to court records. He applied for loans in the names of others and then moved stolen funds to a Venmo mobile payment account.
Michael A. McCoy, of Powder Springs, Georgia, withdrew his not guilty plea on Jan. 17 in U.S. District Court, White Plains.
One of the banks is a Westchester credit union that is not identified in court records. Last April McCoy used the name, address, date of birth and Social Security number and what appeared to be a New York driver’s license of a Westchester woman to apply for a $15,000 personal loan.
When the woman realized several days later that she was not getting her mail, she contacted her local post office. Someone, she learned, had asked to put her mail on hold.
She got her mail the next day and saw a document from the credit union about an account opened in her name. She alerted the credit union that her personal identity information had been stolen, and the credit union removed the money from the bogus account.
Investigators linked McCoy to the scheme with cell phone, Venmo, email, credit card and postal service records.
He was arrested last September and charged with conspiracy, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The new charging document includes only conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
McCoy is scheduled for sentencing on April 25.
