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Eduardo Rodriguez, 41, of Goshen in Orange County, has been charged with conspiring to commit bank and loan fraud, as well as making false statements to federal law enforcement officers. He was arrested on Tuesday, July 2, and arraigned in Manhattan Federal Court.
It is alleged that in June 2017, Rodriguez agreed with two other men, Ricardo Taboada, and Daniel Duran, to submit an application to a lender for an auto loan for the express - but false - purpose of finding Rodriguez’s purchase of a vehicle from a real auto dealer that he never owned or intended to own.
Geoffrey Berman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said that Rodriguez was issued a loan by the lender, which he then endorsed and gave to his co-conspirators “with the understanding they would deposit the money against the check for Rodriguez’s enrichment.”
In March last year, inspectors from USPIS interviewed Rodriguez, and he allegedly falsely denied any involvement in the alleged scam.
The following month, Rodriguez was again interviewed by federal law enforcement officers and while he admitted during the interview that he endorsed the check involved with the loan, he claimed to have endorsed it for the purpose of his co-conspirators to return the checks to the bank. Rodriguez also denied any previous relationship with the two men, stating that he had been contacted without any prior prompting.
Rodriguez was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit loan fraud and one count of making false statements. He faces up to 30 years in prison if he is convicted. No return court date has been scheduled.
Rodriguez was released on $100,000 bond following his arraignment.
“As alleged, Eduardo Rodriguez, an officer with the New York Police Department, misled a financial institution about his intentions for a loan,” Berman said. “Instead of using the loan proceeds for a car, he allegedly used the money for other purposes. If anything, law enforcement officers should be held to a higher standard than the general public. At a minimum, they should be expected to obey the law.”
NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill added, “there is no place in the NYPD for criminal or unethical behavior. NYPD officers swear an oath to uphold the law and protect the public. If an officer fails to uphold this oath, they must be held accountable.”
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