Denville NJ police and East Hanover NJ police worked together to arrest a Brooklyn NY man after he allegedly attempted to withdraw money from another man’s bank accounts.

Bank employees at TD Bank in Denville NJ contacted Denville police after William F. Payne, Jr. tried to withdraw money from a Staten Island man’s bank account. According to authorities, Mr. Payne used a fraudulent NY driver’s license that contained his photograph and the Staten Island man’s personal information.

Mr. Payne also allegedly attempted to open a credit account in the other man’s name and tried to use a fraudulent credit card to purchase two (2) iPads.

When a bank teller refused to process the bank transaction, Mr. Payne quickly left the scene.

While the police investigated the matter, an identity theft and credit protection service notified the victim that someone was trying to open an account in his name at a Best Buy in East Hanover, New Jersey. The victim contacted the Denville Police Department, which then alerted the East Hanover Police Department. East Hanover officers went to the Best Buy and saw Mr. Payne fleeing the store parking lot in a vehicle.

East Hanover police arrested Mr. Payne and charged him with third degree identity theft, third degree theft by deception, and possession of a hypodermic syringe. Sometime later, Denville police charged Mr. Payne with identity theft and uttering a false government document.

In New Jersey, identify theft is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:21-17. The statute stipulates that identity theft can be classified as a second degree offense, a third degree offense, or a fourth degree offense, depending on the circumstances. In this case, Mr. Payne has been charged with third degree identity theft. If Mr. Payne is convicted of third degree identity theft, he could be sentenced to as many as five (5) years in state prison.

After being arrested, Mr. Payne was being held at the Morris County Jail on $30,000.00 bail.

To learn more about this case, check out the NJ.com article entitled “Brooklyn Man Withdrew $11,000 from Another Man’s Bank Accounts, Denville Cops Say.“