CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF A FORGED INSTRUMENT: Check your head | They say that if at first you don’t succeed, you should try, try again. One 26-year-old woman took this mantra to heart when she attempted to cash a fake check made out to her in the amount of $1,020 at a Capital One branch (144 Eighth Ave., at W. 17th St.) at about 4pm on Fri., Apr. 29. The woman had already aroused suspicion because, according to the employee who reported the incident to authorities, she had apparently tried to cash another bogus check (that one for $2,235) at the same location two days earlier. The woman was not arrested, but cameras were at the scene, and the bank knows the name of the clueless counterfeiter.
GRAND LARCENY: Phony funds from Craigslist crew | One should always be wary of scammers when brokering a deal on Craigslist — but nothing could prepare a 17-year-old for what went down in broad daylight, in the seemingly safe, well-lit public place of his own choosing. The teen arranged to meet his customers in a Chase Bank branch (471 W. 42nd St., at 10th Ave.), with the bag of merchandise for purchase, at around 7pm on Fri., Apr. 29. A pair of men arrived and gave the him an envelope with $1,000 in it, and took the bag, with two medium, studded Stark backpacks, from the ground. The duo was apparently antsy to leave, with one noting, “My mom’s waiting in the car,” and the other declaring, “I have to pee.” The impatient purchasers then got into a brown Honda that drove northbound on 10th Ave. The victim later discovered that he was paid with counterfeit currency. No arrests have been made, and video was unfortunately unable to be accessed — but the swindled party was able to provide a description of the men and the phone number he used to contact them.
IDENTITY THEFT: Imposter photographer | A 54-year-old W. 23rd St. resident reported to police that someone has been impersonating him in order to snag gigs as a photographer. The victim is a professional photographer (with a legitimate website), and says that the unknown perp has opened an email account pretending to be him, using his resume and other information in order to secure paid work. The victim has not had any money taken from him, but is understandably peeved that an individual is using his personal information and exploiting his professional clout for financial gain.
GRAND LARCENY/PETIT LARCENY: Take a bike into crime | A string of bike thefts plagued visitors to Pier 66A (near 12th Ave., btw. W. 24th & W. 26th Sts.) this past weekend. Sometime between 2pm and a little after 3pm on Sat., Apr. 30, four bikes in the general vicinity of the area were lifted. The first victim, a 53-year-old, locked his bike up outside the pier while he went to eat at the Frying Pan (a popular restaurant on a floating lighthouse). When he went to retrieve his bike, he discovered his $1,500 Trek 2.1 was gone. Locking their bikes in a similar fashion to go to the same restaurant, two visitors from Quebec returned after their meal, only to find their wheels (a $3,000 Kuota Carbon and a $4,000 Opus) were also absconded with. Another $400 bike was stolen from a 24-year-old Queens man around the same time, at W. 23rd St., btw. 11th & 12th Aves., while its owner was at Hudson River Park. No video evidence is available from the scene of any of these thefts.
AGGRAVATED HARASSMENT: Coat of arms | The fallout over a lost coat might end up taking one woman to a much worse place than the cleaners. Between Mon., Apr. 25 and Sat., Apr. 30, the increasingly disgruntled customer made a number of calls to the Eco Laundry Company (249 W. 18th St., btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.), threatening both the 48-year-old owner and his employees, and asserting, “I will burn down your store.” The owner was rightly alarmed, and reported the woman to the proper authorities — providing them with a name and address, which was willingly supplied by the tightly wound would-be firebug when she first dropped off the AWOL outerwear.
—SEAN EGAN
THE 10th PRECINCT: Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.). Commander: Deputy Inspector Michele Irizarry. Main number: 212-741-8211. Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212-741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-924-3377. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council meets on the last Wed. of the month, 7 p.m., at the 10th Precinct or other locations to be announced. The next meeting is May 25.
THE 13th PRECINCT: Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw. Second & Third Aves.). Deputy Inspector: David Ehrenberg. Call 212-477-7411. Community Affairs: 212-477-7427. Crime Prevention: 212-477-7427. Domestic Violence: 212-477-3863. Youth Officer: 212-477-7411. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-477-4380. Detective Squad: 212-477-7444. The Community Council meets on the third Tues. of the month, 6:30 p.m., at the 13th Precinct. The next meeting is May 17.
CASH FOR GUNS | $100 cash will be given (no questions asked) for each handgun, assault weapon or sawed-off shotgun, up to a maximum payment of $300. Guns are accepted at any Police Precinct, PSA or Transit District.
