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The Spring Valley man, one of the 12 people rounded up in December and January is Rilvan Junaid, 50, Hoffman said.
Meanwhile, the alleged mastermind, 42-year-old Staten Island resident Mohammad Shahid Zaman, was picked up Wednesday, Feb. 10, in New York after a joint state, federal, and local investigation, Hoffman said.
The alleged scammers have been charged in the elaborate “bust-out” scam that netted $3 million from local banks, Hoffman said.
The probe found that thieves, Hoffman said, had used fictitious identities to obtain credit cards and open bank accounts which they used to steal approximately $3 million.
In addition, funds were withdrawn from the bank accounts via ATM and U.S. Postal Money Order Purchases before the bad checks were discovered, he said.
The scammers then “busted out” the credit cards by running up the unpaid balances until they reached or exceeded the credit limits, Hoffman said.
The scheme included a group of “merchants” who in many cases allegedly ran shell businesses set up solely for the purpose of participating in this fraud, Hoffman said.
Charged with first-degree money laundering, second-degree theft and third-degree fraud, Hoffman said, were: Naim Tahir, 47, of Clark, N.J.; Hassan Shahbaz, 43, of Jersey City, N.J.; Aqeel Ahmed, 60, of Secaucus, N.J.; Shama Munir, 50, of Secaucus, N.J.; Faisal Mushtaq, 37, of Secaucus, N.J.; Mohammad Shakeel, 46, of Jersey City, N.J.; Muhammad Farooq Bhatti, 64, of Jersey City; Rilvan Junaid, 50, of Spring Valley, N.Y.; Shakeela Ahmed, 56, of Secaucus, N.J.; Aqeel Sheikh, 54, of Secaucus, N.J.; Mahamed Khan, 53, of Piscataway, N.J.; and Huda Ahmed, 27, of Secaucus, N.J.
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