Jeffrey Carvajal
/ photo: DeWitt Police
DEWITT -- A Bronx man is accused of targeted DeWitt homeowners in a fraudulent tax refund check scheme.
DeWitt police were sent to Thomas Road around 1:00 p.m. Monday for reports of a suspicious incident involving mail being removed from a mailbox.
A witness told police he saw a car driving up and down the street repeatedly. Shortly after a postal worker put mail in the mailbox, the witness watched the suspicious vehicle stop in front of a home. He then saw a man get out of the car and remove mail from the mailbox and then take off.
DeWitt police later found the suspect's vehicle parked near a dumpster at behind a business at the corner of East Genesee Street and Jamesville Road. One of the two occupants in the car was identified as the same person seen removing the mail.
Police then stopped a second vehicle. Police say the two occupants of that car were linked to the other suspects. All four were taken in to the police department and were interviewed by U.S. Postal Inspectors.
Police say they recovered federal tax return checks addressed to several addresses in DeWitt. None of the documents, police say, were actually addressed to anyone who lives at those addresses.
Police arrested 19-year-old Jeffrey Carvajal of the Bronx and charged him with petit larceny for allegedly stealing mail from the Thomas Road home. He's scheduled to re-appear in court on October 11.
The Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Postal Inspectors are also investigating.
If you see similar suspicious activity, call 911.
