Hazleton man collared in scam investigation

Amanda Christman, Standard-Speaker, Hazleton, Pa.
·2 min read

Mar. 25—An 83-year-old New York woman conned once in a phone scam ended up playing a role in the alleged thief's arrest, court papers say.

Nataniel B. Abreu, 20, Hazleton, was implicated in the case and faces felonies for theft, theft by deception and receiving stolen property by Hazleton police who filed the case against him Jan. 26. He was released on $25,000 unsecured bail March 18 by Magisterial District Judge Alexandra Kokura Kravitz, Pittston.

The investigation began with a call from the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office in New York. A sheriff told a Hazleton detective the woman was contacted by an unknown man advising her that her grandson was arrested and she needed to send $5,000 to Philadelphia to bail him out.

According to arrest papers:

The woman sent the money, later realizing she was scammed, so when the man called her a second time requesting another $5,000 be sent after her grandson's "bail" was changed, she played along.

She sent a FedEx envelope to 573 N. Laurel St., Hazleton, just as the caller asked of her but instead of money she mailed him a magazine.

Hazleton police set up surveillance at the home, waiting and watching as the package was delivered late that morning.

Officers asked Abreu's grandmother to call him downstairs to speak to them and after she yelled at Abreu, he confessed to retrieving the package at the direction of his father in the Dominican Republic.

Abreu's cell phone was seized and on June 8, 2020, it was analyzed by Pennsylvania State Police Bureau of Forensic Services Computer Crime Unit, which found a deleted chat in which Abreu was given a FedEx tracking number. Once police arrived at his home, he sent out a message that reads, "yo it was a set up." The person he messaged responded by telling him not to say anything and to erase the messages.

Contact the writer: achrist man@standardspeaker.com

; 570-501-3584

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