Thompson

BELINGTON — A New York man faces multiple felony charges after allegedly stealing a Barbour County man’s identity and taking $7,000 from his bank account.

Alonzo Thompson, 63, of Port Chester, New York, is charged with two counts of forging, uttering or attempting to employ as true, a forged writing to the prejudice of another; one count of obtaining money, property services by false pretenses; one count of taking the identity of another person for credit or employment purposes; and one count of grand larceny, all felonies.

Thompson is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $60,000 surety/cash bond.

According to the criminal complaint, filed by Trooper Davin M. Tate with the West Virginia State Police, on Sept. 25, Tate and Cpl. S.G. Blake responded to Freedom Bank in Belington in reference to a fraud complaint.

The bank staff advised the officers that an unknown male subject had fraudulently obtained $7,000 while using the identity of a Barbour County man, the complaint states. The subject, later identified as Thompson, presented a Pennsylvania driver’s license that had his own photo, but also the name of the victim. Thompson allegedly knew the victim’s social security number and wife’s name as well.

Thompson allegedly signed an electronic signature as the victim to obtain $3,500 and then passed a fraudulent paper check, which he signed with the victim’s name, also for $3,500, the complaint states. A total of $7,000 was obtained from the bank.

While officers were on the scene, bank staff called the Freedom Bank in Elkins to inform them of the incident, the complaint states. During the call, the Freedom Bank in Elkins advised that Thompson was currently in their bank and attempting to “fraudulently obtain additional funds.” Blake contacted West Virginia state troopers at the Elkins Detachment.

According to the complaint, Cpl. S. Miller and Cpl. D. Wolford with the Elkins Detachment located Thompson near Mountain Valley Bank in Elkins and detained him until Tate arrived. Tate noted in the complaint that Thompson was wearing the same clothes seen on the security video from the bank in Belington, and also had “additional fraudulent identification/fraudulent financial items on his person.”

Thompson is also allegedly wanted in Louisiana for felony bank fraud and “other fraud-related charges,” the complaint states.

According to the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation website, Thompson is also being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail for extradition on a $75,000 cash-only bond.