Man charged in theft of nearly $40,000 from Bethpage credit union

A 56-year-old man was arrested and charged with stealing nearly $40,000 from a Bethpage credit union, depositing 16 fraudulent checks then making withdrawals against them, police said Friday.

Mohammad Afzal, of 1378 Standard St., Elmont, was charged with one count of third-degree larceny after his arrest Thursday. He was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead and was held on $2,500 bond or cash bail.

He is next scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

Nassau County police said Afzal was arrested after an investigation by Crimes Against Property Squad detectives and said the thefts took place between Dec. 30, 2014 and Jan. 3.

Afzal deposited 16 fraudulent checks into an account at the Bethpage Federal Credit Union branch on South Oyster Bay Road in Bethpage, then withdrew funds from four different accounts -- knowing the checks would all bounce, police said.

In total, Afzal deposited 16 checks and withdrew approximately $39,000 from the accounts, police said.

It was not clear what led the authorities to Afzal.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

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.”