Like mom, like scammer.
A Lengthy Island mom and daughter have been indicted over a greater than decade-long bank card fraud scheme wherein they allegedly scammed banks out of a whole lot of 1000’s of {dollars} for purchases of designer duds and opulent holidays, The Submit has discovered.
Karan Geist, 61, and her daughter Alyssa Geist, 33, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Courtroom on Friday and pleaded not responsible to the slew of fees towards them, together with grand larceny and fraud.
“It is a 13-year scheme that concerned 1000’s of bank card transactions whereby Karan falsely reported — regardless that she incurred official fees — as fraudulent,” stated Assistant District Lawyer Catherine McCaw in the course of the listening to.
Prosecutors allege Karan falsely disputed $850,000 in fees from roughly 14 totally different bank card firms between 2008 and 2021.
“These purchases ranged in nature from the luxurious to the mundane,” in response to District Lawyer Alvin Bragg’s workplace.
“On quite a few events, Karan booked journey each for overseas and home to unique locations together with Paris, Milan, Norway, Costa Rica, Hawaii and numerous different locations,” the ADA informed Justice Laura Ward in court docket.
The Huntington resident allegedly obtained credit score on her statements after calling banks and writing letters to workers falsely reporting fraudulent fees, together with $205,000 on her American Specific playing cards and $155,000 from Chase.
“She booked tickets in her personal identify, automobile leases in her member of the family’s identify, resort stays in her personal identify, and different luxurious purchases like watches and purses whereas she was touring,” McCaw stated.
She additionally allegedly disputed mundane life bills, comparable to purchases on the Greenback Retailer and even a veterinary invoice for her canines Louis and Daisy, in addition to buying sprees on the likes of Bloomingdale’s and Bergdorf Goodman.
Prosecutors allege that Karan later recruited her daughter to affix within the household racket, and that Alyssa took half within the con for roughly six months.
In 2016, Barclays Financial institution obtained surveillance footage of Karan and Alyssa making a transaction at a Chanel retailer — which the 2 later reported as a fraudulent cost, prosecutors alleged.
Alyssa, a former New York Metropolis trainer, allegedly used one among her mother’s bank cards for a $1,400 buy in July 2017 — and following Karan’s particular directions, then disputed the cost to get a refund.
Whereas touring to Montreal with buddies in August 2017, Alyssa texted her mother about falsely dispute fees as fraudulent, prosecutors alleged. Alyssa left the Division of Training in 2015 and based Tutorologie, a house and on-line tutoring service for teenagers.
Police raided Karan’s house a few yr in the past, and located greater than 100 bank cards tied to a number of purchases — together with a fridge and sun shades — in addition to receipts associated to transactions that had been later reported as fraud, the DA’s Workplace stated.
The accused con artists had been freed on supervised launch following their listening to on Friday, and their passports had been ordered confiscated.
Alyssa, who wore ragged denims and a printed prime, was in tears as she left court docket, and each she and her mother declined to remark.
“My solely remark [is] she isn’t responsible. She is totally harmless right here and it’ll come out in the long run,” stated Alyssa’s lawyer James Pascarella. A lawyer for Karan didn’t instantly return a request for remark.
The mother and daughter are due again in court docket September 14.
