Swindling of $8m: 14 Bangladeshis face trial in US
bdnews24.com :
Fourteen Bangladeshis are facing trial in the US on charges of swindling $8 million from 15 banks in New York by forging cheques.
Some of those accused are absconding, spokesperson for Manhattan’s Southern District Court Jenifer Quilies told bdnews24.com.
Those who have been nabbed on the charges of fraud are – Sayeed Al Hassan aka Sumon, 47 and Zaman Mahbub aka Mahbubuzzaman, 46, from New York’s Jamaica, Md Golam alias Sohag alias Foyez Ahmed Khan alias Kamal Pasha, 38, Mohammad Khalil aka Robin aka Amwal Hasham from Buffalo, 33 and Md Nazrul Islam, 53, from Woodhaven, AKM Golam Hossain aka Mohammad Uddin aka Sariyi Amebi aka Pankha aka James Palmer, 37 from Georgia’s Lawranceville and Dipak Rana aka Noor Hossain, 40 from New York’s Jackson Heights.
Others accused are Hamid Khan aka Abdul Hamid, 43, AKM Golam Hossain from Elmharst, Fulu aka Mohammad Sheikh Islam, 43, from Brooklyn, Akhtar Rahman, 48, Abdur Razzak, 54, Khairul Islam, 54 and Md Reza aka Jashim Md Reza, 48.
Some of them were arrested from various parts of New York and Georgia in
successive raids in November last year. Sayeed Al Hassan along with Hamid Khan are believed to be the mastermind of the racket.
Sayeed was arrested from an Emirates Airways flight at John F Kennedy Airport on Nov 21.
US authorities believe Hamid is hiding in Bangladesh. The men involved with the racket for more than three years face up to 45 years in prison if proven guilty, said US Attorney Preet Bharara.
Six of the seven arrested had pleaded guilty after they were produced in the Federal Court last year.
They are assisting authorities nab the other fraudsters, which is why their names are not being revealed, said Bharara.
The case is being tried in the court of Manhattan’s Federal Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox.
It’s first hearing was on Dec 2, 2013 when the probe report was submitted.
The court set Oct 27 for starting the trial. The fraudsters took telephone, gas and power connections by creating a fake company, replete with driving licenses and social security numbers, the case details revealed.
They opened accounts in 15 banks in fake names and collected cheque books for their fake company.
They submitted hundreds of bogus cheques in the various branches of all the 15 banks and withdrew all the money from ATMs during the weekend, as soon as they could be cashed.
They used the ATMs in Atlantic City’s casino areas where there are no limits on withdrawals.
The banks noticed the fraud after regular operations started and froze the accounts before beginning a probe, said the US attorney.
Fourteen Bangladeshis are facing trial in the US on charges of swindling $8 million from 15 banks in New York by forging cheques.
Some of those accused are absconding, spokesperson for Manhattan’s Southern District Court Jenifer Quilies told bdnews24.com.
Those who have been nabbed on the charges of fraud are – Sayeed Al Hassan aka Sumon, 47 and Zaman Mahbub aka Mahbubuzzaman, 46, from New York’s Jamaica, Md Golam alias Sohag alias Foyez Ahmed Khan alias Kamal Pasha, 38, Mohammad Khalil aka Robin aka Amwal Hasham from Buffalo, 33 and Md Nazrul Islam, 53, from Woodhaven, AKM Golam Hossain aka Mohammad Uddin aka Sariyi Amebi aka Pankha aka James Palmer, 37 from Georgia’s Lawranceville and Dipak Rana aka Noor Hossain, 40 from New York’s Jackson Heights.
Others accused are Hamid Khan aka Abdul Hamid, 43, AKM Golam Hossain from Elmharst, Fulu aka Mohammad Sheikh Islam, 43, from Brooklyn, Akhtar Rahman, 48, Abdur Razzak, 54, Khairul Islam, 54 and Md Reza aka Jashim Md Reza, 48.
Some of them were arrested from various parts of New York and Georgia in
successive raids in November last year. Sayeed Al Hassan along with Hamid Khan are believed to be the mastermind of the racket.
Sayeed was arrested from an Emirates Airways flight at John F Kennedy Airport on Nov 21.
US authorities believe Hamid is hiding in Bangladesh. The men involved with the racket for more than three years face up to 45 years in prison if proven guilty, said US Attorney Preet Bharara.
Six of the seven arrested had pleaded guilty after they were produced in the Federal Court last year.
They are assisting authorities nab the other fraudsters, which is why their names are not being revealed, said Bharara.
The case is being tried in the court of Manhattan’s Federal Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox.
It’s first hearing was on Dec 2, 2013 when the probe report was submitted.
The court set Oct 27 for starting the trial. The fraudsters took telephone, gas and power connections by creating a fake company, replete with driving licenses and social security numbers, the case details revealed.
They opened accounts in 15 banks in fake names and collected cheque books for their fake company.
They submitted hundreds of bogus cheques in the various branches of all the 15 banks and withdrew all the money from ATMs during the weekend, as soon as they could be cashed.
They used the ATMs in Atlantic City’s casino areas where there are no limits on withdrawals.
The banks noticed the fraud after regular operations started and froze the accounts before beginning a probe, said the US attorney.