Watervliet and Troy men arrested after paying $71,000 with fake check to out of state man
GLENMONT – Two Connecticut men selling a high-end sports car ended up without the car and a $71,000 fraudulent check after a transaction that took place on Glenmont Road.
According to reports, on June 18 at approximately 3 p.m., Xavier Murray, of Watervliet and co-defendant Jashene Austin, 29, of Troy met the men to purchase a 2021 BMW M4 Competition through a Facebook Marketplace transaction and agreed upon price. The sellers and Murray went into the Starbucks at Walmart to sign over the title and make payment.
Murray allegedly gave the sellers a check for $71,000 and the sellers deposited the check at the Bank of America branch at Walmart.
The next day, after the sellers noticed that the receipt for the check given showed that the bank address on the check was actually an apartment building and the routing number was from a different bank. Bank of America also put a hold on the deposit in the seller’s account.
The next day the sellers reported the incident to Bethlehem police and detectives had BMW ping the GPS in the vehicle which showed it was in Troy. Although Troy police could not locate it that day, it was located the next day and towed to Bethlehem.
Murray was identified through an investigation and arrested on July 10, and released on an appearance ticket for August, but the case remained open until co-defendant Austin was arrested.
Murray and Austin traveled to Behlehem on January 10 to retrieve a vehicle that was towed by the department and Austin was identified as the co-defendant in the case. Austin was taken into custody on Wednesday, Jan. 17 on a Bethelhem warrant.
Austin was charged with possession of a forged instrument – first and second degrees and grand larceny – property greater than $50,000.
He was arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Ryan Donvovan and was sent to the Albany County jail in lieu of $100 cash bail.
Austin is due back in court on February 20.
Burglar sentenced to seven years
ALBANY– 54-year-old Richard Agley was sentenced to a determinate term of 7 years in State Prison, followed by 5 years of post-release supervision before Albany County Judge Andra Ackerman in Albany County Court on January 18. That sentence follows his November 21 plea of Guilty to One Count of Burglary in the Second Degree.
The indictment alleged that on or about June 17, 2020, Agley burglarized a home on Euclid Street in the Town of Bethlehem and stole items while inside. Specifically, he was accused of stealing shoes and a credit card, both of which he later used. Additionally, he attempted to burglarize a second home and a vehicle in the area on the same day.
While the charges stem from 2020, the defendant failed to appear in court for over two years prior to this resolution, as at the time of charging, Burglary in the Second Degree was not a bail- eligible offense.
In addition to his sentence, four no-contact orders of protection were issued on behalf of the victims.
Larceny and NJ warrant
GLENMONT – Bethlehem police responded to Walmart on Thursday, Jan. 11 for a reported larceny and found the suspect in the case had outstanding warrants.
According to reports, Denzel Christian, 29, who is homeless, allegedly took clothes and ran from the store. He was located a short while later on Magee Drive and taken into custody.
A check of Christian’s identification showed that he had an outstanding warrant from Glenville, but they requested that he be told to turn himself in. Christian did have another warrant from the Union County Sheriff’s Office in New Jersey and they did want to come get him.
Christian arrested and charged with petit larceny, a misdemeanor and processed on the warrant. He was arraigned by Bethlehem Judge Ryan Donovan and sent to the Albany County jail without bail due to the case being moved to Albany County Court due to jurisdiction of the warrant. He does have a return date of February 4 if necessary.
DWI on New Scotland Road
SLINGERLANDS – On Friday, Jan. 12 at approximately 6:45 p.m., Bethlehem police conducted a traffic stop on a gray Toyota Camry near the intersection of New Scotland Road and Thackery Drive because the driver failed to signal.
According to reports, when the officers interviewed the driver, a 65-year-old Troy woman, they observed the odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath and that she had bloodshot and watery eyes. She admitted to having one beer.
The woman was given and failed field sobriety tests, tested positive for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device and was taken into custody.
An inventory of the car showed a half-empty vodka drink and an unopened beer.
At the police station, the woman provided a breath sample that returned a .14 percent BAC. She was charged with DWI and ticketed for illegal signal and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle on a highway.
The woman was given a bill of particulars and an appearance ticket for Bethlehem Town Court on February 6 and released.
This story was featured on page 16 of the January 24th , 2024 print edition of the Spotlight
