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TAYLORSVILLE — A California woman is the latest to be arrested in Utah in connection with a group who police say has defrauded banks of about $700,000 in multiple states.
An organization consisting of 15 to 20 people has been able to obtain personal bank account information — mainly off the dark web that was stolen from unsuspecting victims. Members of the group then travel to multiple states — primarily Utah, Texas and California — where they open new bank accounts using that victim's stolen information and then take out huge loans, said Taylorsville police detective Braydon Hamatake, who also works with the U.S. Marshals and Department of Homeland Security.
Brianna Elizabeth Betancourt, 29, of Temecula, California, was arrested in Iron County last week and then transferred to the Utah County Jail where she was booked for investigation of communications fraud, identity fraud and theft.
Betancourt is accused of going into a bank in American Fork in March, and while using a fake ID, "was able to successfully open an account using the victim's information and request a credit line advance. The female was then able to receive a total of $39,898.72 under the victim's name fraudulently. The female received this amount in cash from the tellers and left the bank," according to a police booking affidavit.
Betancourt is also accused of defrauding banks in Salt Lake County and Tooele County of more than $73,000 "using three different names and fraudulent identifications," the affidavit states. In total, police say the organization has been able to defraud banks of approximately $700,000.
Investigators believe the group has been committing fraud since December. In March, MacKenzie Hacker, 23, of California, was also arrested for investigation of communications fraud and identity theft for an incident at a Kearns bank.
"The female requested to open an account which was successfully done. After the account was opened, she requested to perform a loan which was denied," a police booking affidavit states.
In July, Ronnie Carlos Hernandez, 19, of Murray, was charged in 3rd District Court with theft by deception and identity fraud, second-degree felonies. In that case, police say Hernandez used someone else's name to open an account at a Salt Lake bank and "was able to take three cash advances totaling $18,000."
In June, a federal grand jury in Utah indicted five people — Matthew Acquah and Jordan Battle of California, Jamari Chapman and Emas Hama of Utah, and Lucky Hathaway of Texas — on multiple counts of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit bank fraud as part of the same scheme.
