Tuesday, August 9, 2011

A hard-partying African-American ladies' man with a criminal past has been hauled into court on charges that he swiped $1 million from JPMorgan Chase by seducing bank tellers

Richard Dames, who calls himself Geovanni Kasanova, and five others were named in a 148-count indictment charging that they stole the identities of 80 victims in a scheme that ran from 2009 to 2011. Dames, 33, was one of the leaders of a large-scale identity theft ring and a Manhattan judge has ordered him to be held on $500,000 bail. Dames' long rap sheet includes a 2004 grand larceny conviction. Among his co-conspirators are two tellers, who were in love with him. Kia Wylie, 30, who pleaded not guilty to selling the stolen identities of nine account-holders to Dames, had a love letter she wrote him in her desk drawer, officials said. Malika Williams also pleaded not guilty. Dames picked up the 25-year-old Williams at a bar and convinced her that their relationship was real. Dames, who appeared in court with his underwear sticking out of his jeans, didn't deny that he has a way with the ladies when he was first arrested and asked about Williams. "I know several Malikas," he told cops, court papers say. Prosecutors in Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr.'s office said that Williams knew what she was doing and stole the identities of 16 victims from her work computer - and Dames paid her for the information. Two male bank employees were also recruited to mine bank computers for dates of births, social security numbers and other personal data of victims. The corrupt employees also copied account holders' bank signature cards so that ring members could imitate a victim's signature as they opened new accounts. Dames and two other men are charged with using the data to open credit card and eTrade accounts and make cash withdrawals. They also pick-pocketed victims to steal their identities, officials said. They each face up to 25 years in prison.

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