Prosecutors have accused a St. Croix man of conspiring with a bank teller to slip $100,000 out of a 90-year-old man’s account without his knowledge or consent, the Virgin Islands Police Department announced Wednesday. Family for the aged victim has pledged to sue.
Mylon Allen surrendered to the Wilbur H. Francis Command Police Station Tuesday and was charged with 21 crimes, including obtaining money by false pretense, forgery, uttering or passing forged or counterfeited matters, passing or possession of forged bills or notes, grand larceny, aggravated identity theft, participating in fraud on creditors, access to computer for fraudulent purposes, financial exploitation of an elderly or dependent adult, and conspiracy.
The Economic Crimes Unit started investigating Allen and alleged accomplice Jahmaira Farrell in January after the victim reported the March 2022 to May 2023 incidents.
Farrell allegedly forged a cashier’s check, moving money from the victim to Allen, who then allegedly deposited the money into his Banco Popular account. Allen allegedly used more than $60,000 to buy a new car for Farrell, give her $30,000, and keep the remaining money for his own use, according to police.
Bail was set at $20,000 but Magistrate Judge Venetia Velazquez allowed Allen to post $800 bail. Allen was released pending his advice of rights hearing. Farrell was arrested at the Mars Hill U.S. Post Office on Monday.
The victim, identified by a law firm as Lennox Cato, pledged to file suit against Oriental Bank. Cato’s niece, who has power of attorney over her elderly uncle, said the alleged theft was a “devastating breach of trust.”
“It was betrayal in its purest form,” Richards said in a press release from her attorneys. “This wasn’t just money. This was his stability, his security, and his peace of mind.”
Had Richards not started reviewing her uncle’s financial records, the alleged theft may have never been discovered.
Police said Tuesday they found evidence that Farrell and Allen may have stolen more from Cato in years past, but that the potential crimes were outside a three-year statute of limitations.
Richard’s attorneys said the suit would be filed with the St. Croix Superior Court of the Virgin Islands, but as of Wednesday afternoon, an electronic record had not been posted on the court website.
St. Croix Source
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