BUCKHANNON — More details have emerged in the case of a New York man who is facing 11 felony charges in Upshur County after he was allegedly caught in a fraud and extortion sting operation

Naymat Ulla, 31, of Buffalo, New York, is charged with two counts of financial exploitation of elderly person, protected person or incapacitated adult, two counts of laundering $1000 to $20,000 through financial transactions, one count of extortion or attempted extortion by threats, one count of grand larceny, one count of computer fraud, one count of computer fraud involving ransomware, one count of attempted grand larceny, one count of fraudulent schemes and one count of bringing into this state, receiving or disposing of property stolen in another state, all felonies.

Ulla is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $650,000 cash-only bond.

According to the criminal complaint, filed by Sgt. Tyler A. Gordon with the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office, on Friday, Feb. 20, the department was notified of a potential fraud that occurred at a residence on Mountain Ridge Road in Buckhannon.

Upon initial interview, the alleged victim, an 83-year-old woman “with possible mental acuity (decline),” told officers that she had been contacted by unknown persons, “believed to be of middle eastern descent,” who may have done this by placing a virus or malware onto the alleged victim’s home computer, the complaint states.

The alleged victim advised that the suspect had remotely accessed her computer and obtained back account information, changing a payment amount from $20 to $20,000, the complaint states. The suspect reportedly led the alleged victim to believe that she had “looked at something illegal” on her computer and was now in legal trouble for doing so. The alleged victim stated that, because of this, she felt her reputation and freedom were in jeopardy.

The suspect directed the alleged victim to wrap $18,000 in cash in aluminum foil and transfer it to a courier who would come to her house, the complaint states. A “password system” was utilized so the alleged victim would know who to give the money to.

On Feb. 19, a “dark skinned male” came to the alleged victim’s residence and retrieved the $18,000 wrapped in aluminum foil, the complaint states. The next day, the alleged victim was told to retrieve more money. She attempted to withdraw an additional $20,000, but was assisted by bank personnel and was able to contact the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the complaint, a sting operation was then initiated. Gordon listened in on a conversation between the alleged victim and “a middle eastern male” with an out-of-state number. The male subject directed the alleged victim to package $20,000 in aluminum foil, a paper bag and then duct tape. She was to then send a photo of the package via text message. The $20,000 was packaged and photographed at that time.

The male subject also told the alleged victim that the courier would come for the money at 8 p.m. on Feb. 20, but in a later conversation, the male subject changed the time frame to 9 a.m. on Feb. 21 as the courier was “in inclement weather,” the complaint states. Officers were able to determine that the only inclement weather within six hours of Buckhannon was in north central Pennsylvania and the western New York area.

At approximately 9 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21, the alleged victim received another phone call from the male subject, advising that the courier would be at her residence between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. that day, the complaint states. At approximately 10:15 a.m., Gordon allegedly observed a white Toyota sedan stop in the roadway near the residence with the driver getting out of the vehicle and walking toward the residence.

The male subject allegedly appeared to be paranoid as he kept looking over his shoulder, the complaint states. While he was being detained and arrested, the male subject reportedly was on the phone with an out-of-state phone number and was “speaking a language believed to be Arabic.” The male subject also allegedly did not seem to be bothered that he was being arrested.

The male subject was identified as Ulla, the complaint states. Upon searching the Toyota sedan, officers allegedly found evidence relating to the fraud and money laundering. Gordon reportedly found a shoebox containing nearly $130,000 in cash. An additional cellphone was also located in the vehicle, along with Ulla’s wallet, which allegedly contained approximately $1,900.

Ulla allegedly admitted to officers that he picked up approximately $10,000 in Pennsylvania on Feb. 20 and had brought that money into West Virginia.

A preliminary hearing for Ulla has been scheduled for March 2 at the Upshur County Magistrate Court.