A Staten Island man has pleaded guilty to defrauding an elderly victim in Orange County.
In March, local law enforcement was notified that a 77-year-old woman had been defrauded of $21,000 after clicking on a fake link that led her to believe child pornography was on her phone. The victim withdrew money in separate transactions from her account under the scammer’s direction which was then picked up by the suspect in-person.
With assistance from the Virginia State Police, a sting operation was conducted and the suspect arrived at the victim’s home where he was arrested. Oles Kovalchuk of Staten Island, NY was charged with obtaining money under false pretenses and trespassing after being forbidden.
In Orange County Circuit Court last week, Kovalchuk pleaded guilty to the trespassing charge and received a 12 month suspended sentence. The fraud charged was nol prossed. He has since repaid $21,000 to the victim and identified the person who sent him to the victim’s home–Vladyslav Novoseltsev. Novoseltsev fled the country five days after Kovalchuk’s arrest. Warrants have been issued should he ever return to the United States.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office encourages everyone to remain cautious when receiving unsolicited messages, links or phone calls. If fraudulent activity is suspected, report it to law enforcement immediately.
