No deals offered in Harrison check scheme

HARRISON - There will be no misdemeanor deals, nor felony hearings, for 11 suspects in a check-cashing scam in West Harrison, prosecutors said in court yesterday.

The 11 men, cuffed together in groups of two or three, appeared in Harrison Town Court yesterday after their arrests Thursday, accused in felony complaints of acting in concert and possessing counterfeit checks which they cashed.

The complaint says the checks totaled about $17,000, said George Fufidio, the court-appointed defense attorney for one of the men.

The Hispanic men are illegal immigrants who all have Immigration and Customs Enforcement warrants, defense lawyers and prosecutors said in court. All but one, Freddy Ramirez Torres, told lawyers they did not know where they lived.

Torres, a Mexican, said he lives in White Plains. The others' countries of origin have not been made known.

No bail applications were made in court yesterday due to the men's status as immigration detainees. The court set a felony hearing for the men for 9 a.m. Wednesday, as required by law.

Prosecutors from the Westchester County district attorney's Economic Crimes Bureau said they did not want to waste defense attorneys' time by setting a hearing date, because the cases would go before a grand jury and prosecutors expect indictments before Wednesday's hearing. They added that they would not accept misdemeanor pleas from the men.

Lawyers for all but Torres told Town Justice Marc Lust that their clients would not testify before a grand jury. Torres' attorney made no indication either way.

The men have been charged with third-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, felonies, and fifth-degree conspiracy, a misdemeanor.

The men, posing as employees of Westchester Hills Landscaping Co., cashed about 29 checks at the Community Mutual Savings Bank at 29 Taylor Square in Harrison on Thursday, according to the District Attorney's Office.

After leaving the bank, the men were apprehended near Harrison Boulevard and Pearl Avenue when they stopped at a garage to inquire about an oil change, police said.

Reach Leslie Korngold at lkorngol@lohud.com or 914-694-3519.