STAMFORD -- City detectives have extradited a New York woman accused of stealing more than $72,000 from a elderly Stamford man by withdrawing from his bank account more than 200 times over a three-year period, police said.
Serina Townsend, 30, of 85 91st St., Woodhaven, N.Y., a former New York City bridge club office worker, was charged Wednesday with first-degree larceny and 222 counts of first-degree identity theft. She was held in lieu of $100,000 bond.
An investigation began in late March, police said, when a 70-year-old city man reported someone was taking money out of his account.
Police investigators Mike Stempien and John Russell quickly zeroed in on a private New York City bridge club the man belonged to, determining the missing funds were being taken out by a woman who worked in the club's management office.
Sgt. Andrew Gallagher said Townsend gained access to club members' bank statement information. With that information, she was able to open an electronic account under the man's name, allowing her to withdraw money from his account, Gallagher said.
"He did not pay attention to his statement every month and didn't realize until March that he was missing the funds," Gallagher said.
Townsend, who had been working at the club for five years, began taking money out of the man's account in January 2008. She withdrew money from the account 222 times, Gallagher said.
Gallagher said Townsend probably looked at the man's age, knew he had not been an active club member for a while and, because he was relatively wealthy thought he would not notice the missing funds.
The club, which Gallagher did not want to identify because it cooperated with police, audited its books and determined that no other members' bank accounts had been purloined.
Gallagher said Townsend's boss at the bridge club said he always wondered how she was able to afford as many different things and have as many expenses on her take-home salary.
With some of the money, Townsend paid for some cosmetic surgery, he said.
After notifying New York authorities, the Queens Warrant Squad found Townsend at her new place of employment in a borough beauty shop and took her into custody two weeks ago.
Officers went down to Queens County Courthouse on Wednesday and picked her up and brought her to Stamford, Gallagher said.
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