Suffolk County Police Identity Theft Section detectives and First Precinct Crime Section officers arrested Commack resident, Michael Katcher, for allegedly stealing over $255,000 to support his vices. Katcher is accused of using the personal information of an old friend and his 21 year old daughter to open fraudulent business accounts and credit cards.
The fraudulent companies Katcher created are:
- TAK Transportation
- Charmwood
- McKewens Limousine
According to authorities, Michael Katcher obtained access to his friends company, Alpine Limousine, to steal customer credit cards for fraudulent purchases, between July and November of 2015. He created shell companies to bill frequent limo customers, who wouldn’t notice the charges. The Commack man stole over $255,000 in order to support his heroin and gambling addictions. Katcher admitted to spending $2,000 a week on heroin and a $100,000 a year on gambling to authorities.
Katcher was charged with three counts of Identity Theft in the 1st Degree, six counts of Forgery in the 2nd Degree and Two counts of Issuing a Bad Check. He was arraigned at the First District Court in Central Islip yesterday, where a judge ordered him held on $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond. In addition to the criminal charges, Michael Katcher is being sued for stealing more than $650,000 in a separate con, by multiple victims in Long Island and New York City.
The investigation is ongoing.
*A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.