Fake bank fraud alert led Connecticut man to deposit $9,200 into scam account, police say

NORTH BRANFORD - A Florida man arrested last week in connection with a financial scheme allegedly defrauded a 75-year-old North Branford resident out of thousands of dollars last fall, according to a warrant.

Justin G. Dwyer Sr., 32, of Fort Lauderdale, faces charges including first-degree identity theft and second-degree larceny stemming from a North Branford police investigation that resulted in his July 15 arrest.

The investigation began Sept. 13, 2025, after a man received what appeared to be an alert from Bank of America about a fraudulent charge on his debit card from a rental car company in California, according to a warrant filed in state Superior Court in New Haven.

The victim called a number included with the alert and spoke to a man who identified himself as a "fraud investigator" for Bank of America, who said the victim's account had been "flagged for being ‘out of the ordinary'" and told him the person responsible for the fraudulent charge was named "Brian," the warrant says.

The "fraud investigator" advised the victim that his Bank of America account had been "frozen," an account with Chase Bank had been "opened in his name for temporary use" and directed the victim to deposit cash into the new account, the warrant says.

The victim additionally was prompted to set up a Chase Wallet account on his phone, which the warrant says the victim did.

After speaking with the "fraud investigator," the warrant says the victim went to a Bank of America branch in North Haven and withdrew $9,500, then went to a Chase Bank in Hamden and used his phone to deposit $9,200 into the Chase account the "fraud investigator" had opened for him. 

With a search warrant, investigators obtained records related to the Chase account and learned it had been opened in August 2025 under the name "Nelson Edward Henriquez," using a phone number with a Florida area code. Although the account was opened under another person's name, the warrant alleges Dwyer had access to and used the account during the fraud.

Bank records police obtained showed the North Branford man's $9,200 deposit to the Chase account was "rapidly depleted through a series of ATM cash withdrawals, debit card purchases and peer-to-peer transfers" in Florida, Dwyer's arrest warrant says. 

Within three days of the deposit, the warrant says there was a remaining balance of 67 cents. 

"The timing, volume and consistency of (the) transactions demonstrate a coordinated effort to immediately withdraw and convert the despised funds," police noted in the warrant.

Investigators observed similar activity on the account on prior occasions, including $8,080 and $10,000 deposits made in North Carolina a few days prior to the incident involving the North Branford victim.

"In each instance, the deposited funds were rapidly depleted in the same manner, further demonstrating a consistent pattern," the warrant says.

After determining one of the listed transactions involved the purchase of a money order at a Publix in Pompano Beach, Fla., the warrant says investigators obtained transaction records from the store that showed "a pattern of high-value purchases" using two Chase debit cards linked to the same account "with multiple declined attempts for purchase limits and incorrect PIN entries, indicating repeated efforts to rapidly withdraw deposited funds."

Of the 27 money order transactions police identified at multiple Publix locations between Sept. 5 and Sept. 14, 2025, the warrant says 19 were made payable to a "Justin Dwyer" and "endorsed for deposit into Fairouz Investment Inc out of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, establishing a clear nexus between the fraudulent transactions, the suspect and the destination of the funds."

North Branford police also obtained surveillance camera footage connected to the transactions that showed a man with long dreadlocks and facial hair operating a red Honda sedan, the warrant says.

Additional search warrants for bank records, surveillance footage from multiple Chase ATMs in Florida and digital account access data tied Dwyer to the fraudulent account and transactions, according to the warrant. The warrant says geolocation data placed account activity near Dwyer's Fort Lauderdale home, while facial recognition analysis and comparisons of the Chase and Publix surveillance footage identified him as the same man seen conducting the transactions.

The warrant says police obtained other records that showed Dwyer used the fraudulently obtained funds for Turo vehicle rentals before switching to using his own checking account after encountering repeated failed attempts with the fraudulent account.

Although investigators allege Dwyer had access to and used the Chase account during the fraud, the warrant says bank records and transaction data indicated it was accessed by more than one person and used to conduct multiple peer-to-peer payments, ATM withdrawals and debit card purchases.

Based on those findings, investigators concluded the scheme "may have involved shared access to the account and the possible assistance or participation of additional individual(s), whose identities remain under investigation," the warrant says.

The investigation resulted in Dwyer's arrest on the warrant July 15, charging him with second-degree larceny, first-degree identity theft, fourth-degree money laundering, illegal use of a credit or debit card, conspiracy to commit second-degree larceny, conspiracy to commit first-degree identity theft, conspiracy to commit fourth-degree money laundering, and conspiracy to commit the illegal use of a credit or debit card.

Court records show Dwyer remains held on a $50,000 bond with an Aug. 6 plea hearing scheduled at state Superior Court in New Haven.

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