Copiague man tried to scam elderly victim out of $7,500, police say
Elvis Espinal-Duran, 30, of Copiague, is to be arraigned Thursday on a charge of third-degree grand larceny, police said. Credit: NCPD
A Copiague man was arrested and charged with third-degree grand larceny Wednesday after, police said, he attempted to bilk an elderly man out of $7,500 by claiming to be a lawyer representing the victim's grandson in an auto accident.
Elvis Espinal-Duran, 30, was arrested at 2:35 p.m. in Carle Place and faces arraignment Thursday in First District Court in Hempstead. It was not known if he was represented by counsel.
Nassau County police Major Case Bureau and Fraud and Forgery detectives said the victim, identified only as an 86-year-old man, received a call from Espinal-Duran claiming he was a lawyer representing the victim's grandson. During that conversation, police said, Espinal-Duran told the victim his grandson had been charged with driving while intoxicated after the car he was driving struck another vehicle in Atlantic City, injuring a pregnant woman who was then hospitalized. The victim was then told he needed to get $7,500 in cash so the judge in the case would release the grandson from custody, police said.
Police said the victim was directed to go to the bank, withdraw the funds and meet with Espinal-Duran to complete the transaction. Once off the phone, however, police said the victim called his son.
The victim and his son then contacted police, who said they arranged to meet — and arrest — Espinal-Duran.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
