White Collar Crime News

PNC Bank teller and others charged with identity theft September 13, 2009

Babatune Ibironke, a PNC bank teller, his wife, Eryn Brown, and John Caldwell Jr., an accomplice, were charged with several counts of identity theft, theft by deception and conspiracy to commit those crimes.   The State alleges that Ibironke created two bogus bank accounts to steal $66,000 from a legitimate account. Caldwell was charged with conspiring with Ibironke to use a debit card to collect the money.   Ibironke is also charged with money laundering and computer theft for accessing accounts while he worked at the bank.  If that wasn’t bad enough, he is also charged with witness tampering for allegedly asking two witnesses not to identify him.

The second indictment charged Ibironke with attempted theft by deception for allegedly trying to collect federal income tax returns that were filed by eight other people. He is also alleged to have provided information to his wife, who also worked at the same PNC Bank branch which enabled her to open five other fraudulent accounts. They were both charged with conspiracy, attempted theft by deception and identity theft. Brown was also charged with computer theft.

Yet even a third indictment charged Ibironke with trying to apply for a passport using Caldwell’s name in Roselle.  He was charged with two counts of false swearing, two counts of falsifying records and two counts of presenting a fraudulent driver’s license as a result. In addition, Ibironke and Caldwell were also charged with identity theft, conspiring to commit identity theft and presenting false identification.

Ibironke is really facing a gauntlet here with the three indictments.  He also faces a huge risk by taking all three cases to trial.  The money laundering charge is going to be the biggest problem.  He needs an attorney that will wrap this up sooner rather than later.

Story is here.